February 2017 by Minnesota Good Age

FEBRUARY 2017

TRAVEL

Beyond the bucket list PAGE 10

TOP DOCTOR Dr. Anne Murrayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s extraordinary journey into gerontology has led her to surprising discoveries PAGE 32

No place like Cedar Rapids PAGE 18

40 years of Penumbra Theatre PAGE 12

PLU

BROCCOS REVAMP LI ED PAG E3

Cremation Society of Minnesota

ABOUT CREMATION Q. How does the Cremation Society of Minnesota work? A. The Cremation Society is notified immediately

at the time of death. The member’s body is taken to the Society’s crematory. It is held until proper medical authorization and a cremation permit is secured. It is then cremated.

Q. What happens to the ashes after cremation? A. The member’s remains are handled according to their written instructions. They may be picked up by survivors or delivered for a fee.

Q. What is the cost for cremation? A. “Our current cost for our basic direct cremation service is $1,595.00.” It includes removal of the body from the place of death, cremation, filing of necessary papers, and a cardboard container suitable for burial. The charge for non-members, who we also serve, is more.

Q. How do I become a member? A. Fill out the registration form and mail it to our

near-est location. Enclose a one-time membership fee of $15.00 per person. The fee covers setting up and maintaining records. It is not refundable nor an offset to final service costs. We will register you and send you a wallet-sized membership card, and a certificate of registration.

Q. What are the benefits of prepaying for services? A. Prepayment provides two benefits – it removes a

stress from survivors and guarantees that services will be performed at today’s cost.

Q. Where can I learn more? A. You may call or visit any one of our locations, or

visit us at cremationsocietyofmn.com or email us at csminnesota@aol.com

REGISTRATION FORM

Name Address Telephone (

)

INFORMATION REQUIRED ON THE DEATH CERTIFICATE Date of Birth

(will remain confidential)

Place of Birth

Sex ❏ M ❏ F

Race

Hispanic ❏ Yes ❏ No

Father’s Name

Social Security #

Mother’s Name

Marital Status ❏ Married ❏ Never Married ❏ Widowed ❏ Divorced If married, spouse’s full legal name, including maiden Are you a Veteran? ❏ Yes ❏ No

If Yes, enclose a copy of your discharge paper.

AUTHORIZATION FOR CREMATION I, the undersigned, authorize and request the Cremation Society of Minnesota or its assigns to cremate the remains of , and further authorize and request that the following disposition of the cremated remains be made: . I will indemnify and hold harmless the Cremation Society of Minnesota and the crematory from any claims to the contrary including all liability and claims related to the shipment and storage of the cremated remains. Signature

Date

Witness Signature

Date

Address Telephone (

)

Email address

NEXT OF KIN – Please list at least one. Name

Relationship

Address Telephone (

)

PAYMENT PLAN – You are not a member until this form is on file and your registration fee is received. “Our current cost for our basic direct cremation service is $1,595.00.” ❏ I wish to preregister with the Cremation Society of Minnesota

Registration Fee:

❏ I wish to prepay for my Basic Cremation, I understand my pre-payment will be placed in an insurance policy to be used at time of death ❏ I wish to register at this time but not prepay

$15.00 $

Total Paid: $ GA 02/17

PLEASE MAIL FORM TO THE NEAREST CHAPEL LISTED BELOW

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Contents The 26-acre Brucemore estate in Cedar Rapids features a 21-room Queen Anne mansion, which is open for tours. Photo courtesy of Go Cedar Rapids

→→On the cover Top doc: Minneapolis’ own Dr. Anne Murray has made a career out of treating older adults while also leading groundbreaking research. Photos by Tracy Walsh tracywalshphoto.com

Amazing art in Iowa Celebrate the 125th birth anniversary of the famed painter Grant Wood.

Subscribe! Want to receive Good Age at your home? Our magazine is free at more than 1,000 rack sites around the Twin Cities, including most senior centers, libraries and metro-area Walgreens. But if you'd like to get the magazine mailed to your home, send a $12 check for a one-year subscription to Minnesota Good Age, 1115 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis, MN 55403. Write “Good Age magazine” on the memo line.

38 Can’t-Miss Calendar 40 Brain Teasers 4 / February 2017 / Minnesota Good Age

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From the Editor 6 A local doctor proves yet again: We live in a health-care mecca.

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My Turn 8 Giving to charities soothes my soul and eases the tax bill. Memories 10 Forget about your bucket list: What about your obit?

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This Month in MN History 12 St. Paul’s Penumbra Theatre celebrates 40 years.

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Good Health House Call 14 Hearing loss can lead to premature memory loss. Caregiving 16 If you’re a primary caregiver, get help sooner rather than later.

Good Living Housing 26 Plymouth now boasts an award-winning community. Finance 28 Snowbirds need to consider the financial implications of ‘flight.’ In the Kitchen 30 Oven roast — don’t steam — broccoli, if you want more flavor.

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Good Start / From the Editor / By Sarah Jackson Volume 36 / Issue 2 Publisher Janis Hall jhall@mngoodage.com Co-Publisher and Sales Manager Terry Gahan 612-436-4360 tgahan@mngoodage.com Editor Sarah Jackson 612-436-4385 editor@mngoodage.com Contributors Jamie Crowson, Carol Hall, Skip Johnson Lauren Peck, Kathleen McCarthy Dave Nimmer, Deb Taylor Carla Waldemar, Tracy Walsh Creative Director Sarah Karnas Senior Graphic Designer Valerie Moe Graphic Designer Dani Cunningham Client Services Delaney Patterson 612-436-5070 dpatterson@mngoodage.com Circulation Marlo Johnson distribution@mngoodage.com

40,000 copies of Minnesota Good Age are distributed to homes and businesses metro-wide. Minnesota Good Age (ISSN 2333-3197) is published monthly by Minnesota Premier Publications. Minnesota Good Age, 1115 Hennepin Ave. Minneapolis, MN 55403 © 2017 Minnesota Premier Publications, Inc. Subscriptions are $12 per year.

6 / February 2017 / Minnesota Good Age

Brilliant minds We live in an amazing city!

Not only is our region home to a collection of incredible Fortune 500 companies, MinneapolisSt. Paul also boasts an astonishing array of healthcare services — and brilliant medical minds, making new discoveries through painstaking study and research. That includes top researchers at the University of Minnesota, such as Dr. Karen Ashe, a worldrenowned expert on Alzheimer’s disease, who has found a way to reverse memory loss in lab Photo by Tracy Walsh mice. Her findings indicate that it may be possible tracywalshphoto.com for the brain to repair itself, even after signs of memory loss have already appeared! Ashe — whose findings were recently chronicled in the Star Tribune — isn’t the only one making major research strides in dementia research, however. This month, I’m positively in awe of our Cover Star, Dr. Anne Murray — a longtime geriatrician, internist and epidemiologist, who’s spent decades specializing in dementia care and research. Educated at the University of Minnesota Medical School, Mayo Clinic and Harvard University, Murray isn’t just an admired physician (a perennial “top doctor”), she’s also an internationally recognized medical researcher. And she’s made discoveries of her own — thanks to years of research and work on multiple studies — including the fact that people with advanced kidney problems are at greater risk of suffering from dementia. “Our results could end up changing the way kidney patients are treated for memory loss,” Murray said. That’s huge news for the 3 million people with advanced chronic kidney disease in the U.S. — and another 5 million with a mild form of the disease. What’s more? Murray is also just … kind. Her patients appreciate her tenderness. And Murray says she’s found patientfocused research to be as valuable (if not more valuable) than mere medical records data. “You can’t do real dementia research without seeing the patients,” she said, adding later: “I love geriatrics. I love taking care of older people because of how much I learn from them. They have wonderful stories and an appreciation of life you don’t see elsewhere.” Indeed, that sounds like a top doctor to me.

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Good Start / My Turn / By Dave Nimmer

Iceberg Lake, Glacier National Park, Montana

Finding ways to give →→Donating time and funds soothes this senior’s soul (and eases the tax bill)

It’s tax time.

And that means this month I’m thinking of ways to give away money, donating to charities and non-profits prior to filing our income tax returns for last year. It’s a two-for-one good deal — aiding worthwhile causes and gaining tax deductions. I’m not a saint, or John the Baptist, but I do think giving of your time and money is good for the soul at this stage of our lives.

My father’s path I start with the United Way (for me it’s Washington County East). This is a nudge I got from my father, who spent 10 years after he retired soliciting money for the United Way in Fond du Lac, Wis. He and his old friend, Paul Schultz, used to drive along the roads in the rolling 8 / February 2017 / Minnesota Good Age

countryside, stopping at farmhouses to make their pitch. My dad couldn’t see very well and Paul couldn’t speak very clearly (due to early-stage Parkinson’s). One day, they were about to cross a railroad track and Dad couldn’t see the oncoming train and Paul couldn’t spit out the warning: Nim! Train coming! It was a narrow miss, and they almost stopped breathing, but they didn’t stop soliciting, not until they were too old to walk.

I took a hike to Iceberg Lake there and it blew me away — a mountain trail, a cirque lake and glacier lilies. I’ve been to Glacier in Montana half a dozen times and I’ve hiked in Acadia in Maine, Joshua Tree in California and the Grand Canyon in Arizona. They’re treasures, gifts to my “senior” soul. I don’t want the parks to rely on corporate sponsors who might ask for naming rights: Voyageurs National Park: Sponsored by Amazon.

who don’t have insurance to cover a 30-day stay in a treatment center. When it comes to dealing with those who have little or nothing, no one does it better than the sisters of the Visitation Monastery of Minneapolis. They’ve been on the North Side for 28 years, saying prayers, giving comfort, empowering neighbors, offering smiles and providing peace — if only for a moment. These seven women get my time and some of my money. They’re living the Gospels, one sweet day at a time. Historically, Minnesotans are some of the most generous givers in the U.S., donating more than $4 billion a year to charities in 2012. So I’m not some kind

Fighting off cancer Family plays a role in another charity of mine — the American Cancer Society. My mother died of ovarian cancer at age 49. My grandmother died of liver cancer. My grandfather died of prostate cancer. I’m a prostate-cancer survivor — robotic surgery and 39 radiation treatments. So I feel lucky — and grateful. Statistics say 1 in 2 men, and 1 in 3 women will be affected by cancer in their lifetimes. But now the length of the average lifetime has been extended in the past 20 years because deaths from cancer are now 20 percent lower. That’s good enough for me to open my wallet.

America the beautiful I’m also persuaded to donate to the National Park Foundation because the need is so great and the parks are so essential to my well being. Congress has been stingy to the parks, which now have a backlog of repairs that will cost more than $11 billion. I didn’t get to my first national park (Glacier) until I was almost 40.

I’m not a saint, or John the Baptist, but I do think giving of your time and money is good for the soul at this stage of our lives.

Donations can provide second chances While protecting public lands is noble, helping the poor is essential, and no organizations do a better job than the Union Gospel Mission and The Salvation Army. They offer food, shelter, clothing and second chances. The sing-along on Wednesday nights at the UGM’s Christ Recovery Center is always an inspiration, a celebration of sobriety among folks

of virtuous leader, simply one of the flock. At this stage in the journey, that means I’m in good company — and probably in need of a shepherd. Dave Nimmer has had a long career as a reporter, editor and professor. Now retired, he has no business card, but plenty to do. Send comments or questions to dnimmer@ mngoodage.com.

Minnesota Good Age / February 2017 / 9

Good Start / Memories / By Carol Hall

Beyond the bucket list →→Obituaries — often interesting, sometimes vague — tell only part of our stories

Inquiring into friends’ ‘bucket list’ items — those

important things one wants to accomplish before “kicking the bucket” — I discovered most are for travel: Visit every national park in the United States. Go to Norway. See Africa. I’d hoped someone would desire to bungee jump or help colonize Mars or — like me — learn to dance the tango, so I’d have something extraordinary to write about for this column. But since no one did, I’ll turn it over to my retired airline pilot-writer friend, Dale Hagfors, to expound on another kind of list. This one comes after the bucket has been kicked. The obituary is that final summation of who we were. For a rich or famous person, it’s usually written in advance and kept in the newspaper’s files to be published at the appropriate time. Consequently, these obituaries are almost always well-written and compact. The obituaries of ordinary people are often written by the staff of the funeral home, based on information provided by the family. Sometimes, a family member takes on the task. The results of these efforts tend to be the most varied and interesting. Some are overly full of praise and adoration. One can get weary of reading: “He was larger than life,” or “She could light up a room,” and the like. Others are wonderful little biographies that give us a glimpse into a stranger’s life. Then there are those that describe the anguish of a life cut short. Some even courageously include the tragic details of questionable choices or addiction. Often, family-written obituaries go to such lengths that we lose interest and skip to the next one. It can be equally frustrating to find one that doesn’t have enough information to enable us

10 / February 2017 / Minnesota Good Age

to determine if the deceased was maybe a classmate or friend from years ago. Photographs are useful with these obituaries to identify the person. Some families will choose a fairly recent photo. Others will submit a considerably older photo of a much younger person that can serve to remind us that this was once a handsome man or a beautiful woman. Sometimes both are given for comparison. Occasionally, individuals prepare their own obituaries. With those, you feel you’re reading what that person thought was significant about his life, and you expect that it’s honest and accurate.

Some are overly full of praise and adoration. Others are wonderful little biographies that give us a glimpse into a stranger’s life. Such honesty might leave the surviving spouse or child dismayed not to be called “the love of my life.” (But then, perhaps neither of them were.) If you write your own obituary, it’s important to remember that when you’re gone, there’s no way to guarantee it will make it into print. Your survivors might just trash it and write their own! As for what Dale would like written in his obituary: “Just enough information so that the old dude in Naples, Fla., who still has the Star Tribune delivered, can say, ‘Yeah, I remember that guy.’” Dale has no bucket list. He’s part of the “been there, done that” group. Carol Hall lives in Woodbury. She’s a longtime freelance writer, a University of Minnesota graduate and a former Northwest Airlines stewardess. Send comments and questions to chall@ mngoodage.com.

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Good Start / This Month in Minnesota History / By Lauren Peck

Penumbra celebrates 40 years →→African-American stories have always taken center stage at this theater

This year St. Paul’s Penumbra Theatre Company celebrates its 40th anniversary.

For four decades, the theater has garnered local and national attention for its dedication to creating art grounded in the African-American experience. Penumbra is one of only a few theaters created during the Black Arts Movement of the sixties and seventies that still exists today. The company first got its start in 1976 at the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center when the organization was awarded a grant to develop cultural arts programming. Lou Bellamy was hired as Hallie Q. Brown’s cultural arts director, and he worked to create a theater company that would grant more opportunities for black artists. “They were not getting work on other stages, and when they were, it was quite limited and often stereotypical,” Sarah Bellamy, Penumbra artistic director, said in Peg Guilfoyle’s 2015 book, Offstage Voices: Life in Twin Cities Theater.

Starting out Penumbra’s first productions were two educational children’s plays, Little Nell and The Hairy Falsetto. In 1977, the theater acquired the name Penumbra and staged its first fulllength season, which began with Eden by Steve Carter, an exploration of the relationships 12 / February 2017 / Minnesota Good Age

between African-Americans and black Caribbean immigrants in New York. Star Tribune critic Peter Vaughan wrote, “If Eden is an indication of things to come, this newest venture on the Twin Cities theater scene deserves a long existence.” Eden also drew in one of Penumbra’s most influential collaborators — playwright August Wilson. While visiting St. Paul, Wilson, then a poet, attended Eden half a dozen times. A few years later, when Wilson reworked a series of his poems into a play, Penumbra hosted his first professional play, the musical satire, Black Bart and the Sacred Hills, in 1982.

⊳⊳ In 2014, Penumbra staged The Ballad of Emmett Till, a play based on the 1955 brutal murder of a 14-year-old boy in Mississippi who was accused of flirting with a white woman. Photo courtesy of Penumbra Theatre Company / Allen Weeks

It was “a fairly unwieldy and somewhat unsuccessful production. It had a 26-person cast and included 14 songs and the liberal use of a strobe light,” according to Macelle Mahala’s 2013 book, Penumbra: The Premier Stage for African American Drama.

→→Attend a show Black Light: A Soulful Embrace of Love and Life will feature renowned diva songstress Jomama Jones (above) at the Penumbra Theatre Company in St. Paul on select nights Feb. 2–12. Tickets cost $20 for ages 62 and older.

→→See an exhibit The Minnesota History Center will present the exhibit Penumbra at 40: Art, Race and a Nation on Stage Feb. 18 through July 30. Visitors can explore the founding and journey of the country’s largest and preeminent AfricanAmerican theater through stories, original props, costumes, scripts and more. The exhibit was organized in partnership with Penumbra, the Givens Collection of African American Literature at the University of Minnesota Libraries and Umbra: Search African American History. Learn more at mnhs.org.

Winning two Pulitzers That was, however, only the beginning for Wilson at the theater. In 1984, Penumbra and Wilson launched the world premiere of his play, Jitney. A few years later, in 1987, Wilson won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for Fences — and another in 1990 for The Piano Lesson. Wilson remained an advocate for Penumbra through his life, and his work has continued to have a home at Penumbra over the years. By 1990, Penumbra had established itself as a separate 501c3 organization from the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center with a $500,000 operating budget. Over the years, its seasons have fostered the work of numerous black playwrights, such as Carlyle Brown and Robbie McCauley, and explored issues from the African-American middle class to minstrel shows in a wide range of performances. One Penumbra staple is Black Nativity by Langston Hughes, which has been staged nearly every year since 1987 in various historical eras, such as the Reconstruction, biblical times and even contemporary St. Paul. In 2000, Penumbra received national recognition when it won the Jujamcyn Award for its work developing artistic talent. The theater also began co-producing with the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, starting with Wilson’s Fences in 1997 as well as productions such as A Raisin in the Sun, The Amen Corner and The Mountaintop.

Ups and downs over the years Penumbra hasn’t been without its struggles during 40 years of operation. In September 2012, it was forced to cancel its 2012–2013 season, lay off staff and suspend programming after a financial shortfall. But through the support of the community, the theater was able to raise $359,000 to stage one production in spring 2013, Spunk: Three Tales by Zora Neale Hurston. Penumbra has since bounced back and has continued to stage relevant, poignant works such as 2014’s The Ballad of Emmett Till, the true story of a 1955 lynching, which drew obvious parallels to the 2012 shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Florida. Penumbra held post-play discussions after performances as part of the theater’s Season of Hope. In 40 years, Penumbra has premiered 34 shows by black artists and fostered the careers of countless artists of color. As of 2017, Penumbra still calls Hallie Q. Brown Community Center home, and its 2016–2017 season includes Wilson’s Black Light: A Soulful Embrace of Love and Life, featuring diva songstress Jomama Jones, opening this month. In January 2017, Sarah Bellamy succeeded her father Lou Bellamy as artistic director, launching a new chapter for Penumbra. Lauren Peck is a media relations and social media associate for the Minnesota Historical Society.

Minnesota Good Age / February 2017 / 13

Good Health / House Call / By Kathleen McCarthy

More than just sound →→Hearing loss can lead to decreased cognitive functioning, brain shrinkage

Is your hearing loss an annoyance, an inconvenience or worse?

Hearing loss happens so slowly and so subtly that we may think that all we need to do is adjust to it over the years. We’ll learn to live with it. We’ll turn up the volume on the TV. In conversations, we’ll be sure to focus so that we hear what people have to say. But learning to live with it isn’t the answer. Hearing loss doesn’t slow down as we get older. For those of us who are age 65 or older, a third of us already suffer from some hearing loss. By the time we reach 75, more than half of us will face difficulty hearing.

The everyday effects Hearing loss that develops with age is called presbycusis (prez-buh-KYOOsis). It’s when the piercing sounds of sirens, smoke alarms and doorbells can become harder to distinguish, and we can’t easily catch higherpitched voices either. We also notice that sounds get distorted and messages get twisted: One might hear, “Use the eggs in the bag,” but what’s actually said is, “Use the ice from the bag.”

Use it, don’t lose it Fortunately, hearing loss is treatable. And now there’s a sense of urgency for seniors — and their health professionals — to get help. According to a growing body of scientific evidence, older adults with hearing loss are more likely to develop problems thinking and remembering than older adults whose hearing is normal. In other words, hearing loss can increase your risk for dementia. One study at Johns Hopkins University showed that although the brain becomes smaller with age, the shrinkage seems to be fasttracked in older adults with hearing loss. Another Johns Hopkins study showed that test subjects with hearing loss experienced faster declines in their cognitive abilities than in those with normal hearing. On average, older adults with hearing loss developed significant impairments in their cognitive abilities 3.2 years sooner than those with normal hearing. Researchers are now studying the cognitive differences between folks with hearing loss who use hearing aids and those who don’t. And that latter number is high: Fewer than 15 to 20 percent of people in the U.S. with clinically significant hearing loss use hearing aids.

14 / February 2017 / Minnesota Good Age

Hearing loss that goes on for some time can make people depressed, anxious or even paranoid. This can worsen to the point that there’s less getting together with family and friends and less interest in social outings, which can be detrimental to one’s health.

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How it happens The most frequent cause of age-related hearing loss is the natural breakdown of nerve cells in the inner ear. Sound reaches the inner ear, but the breakdown of nerve cells prevents proper hearing, according to WebMD. This is known as sensorineural hearing loss. Long-term medical conditions, such as high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes — or other problems with circulation — may also contribute to age-related hearing loss. It also can result from chronic exposure to noisy environments, childhood infections or stroke.

Talk to your physician Your doctor can test your hearing and suggest how to best manage problems. Hearing aids today are considered tiny microcomputers and include programs that can respond to and handle various sounds. Hearing devices can be fine-tuned to give you the sounds that mostly closely fit what you’re used to hearing. They can also improve the sounds you want to hear as well as block background

→→Resources American Academy of Audiology howsyourhearing.org Hearing Loss Association of America hearingloss.org National Council on Aging tinyurl.com/hearing-mn What Is Hearing Loss? NIHSeniorHealth.gov

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noise you’d rather do without. You’ll pay for the technology. One hearing aid (and most folks need two) cost an average of $2,300, according to AARP. (Learn how to keep costs down at tinyurl.com/hearing-costs.)

Other accommodations Many public places such as museums, theaters and auditoriums offer ear buds or ear phones for patrons with hearing difficulties. At home, personal listening systems can be connected to the telephones, laptop computers and televisions. Many public places in Minnesota, including churches, city meeting rooms and clinic lobbies, are outfitted with hearing loops that allow hearing-aid users to tap into on-site sound systems. Learn more about loop hearing technology in Minnesota at tinyurl.com/ hearing-loops or loopminnesota.org. Note: Dr. Michael Spilane is taking the month off. This article was adapted from a story that originally appeared on Go60.us, a site offering specialized monthly content for seniors.

Minnesota Good Age / February 2017 / 15 Rileys Travel Easy Tours GA 0217 V4.indd 1

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Good Health / Caregiving / By Deb Taylor

Overwhelmed? →→If you’re a primary caregiver of an older adult, don’t wait to get help

When Kathryn’s father turned 84, he needed help

remaining independent at home. So Kathryn assisted with housework and cleaning; she raked leaves and shoveled snow, too. When her dad had doctor appointments, Kathryn usually drove him. In time, Kathryn grew weary because she also had a full-time job and a family. “At one point, Dad was occupying all of my time, taking all of my energy, and I just couldn’t do it. It was impossible for me to take care of Dad and juggle the rest of my responsibilities,” she said. Sylvia grew weary caregiving for her husband. He couldn’t be left alone, so she spent long, isolating days at home, unable to get out much for socialization to refresh her own state of mind. John ended up in a similar role as a caregiver for his mother, who suffered from dementia and other medical challenges. John’s own health became compromised when 16 / February 2017 / Minnesota Good Age

he grew exhausted. He persevered because he thought there were no other options. But there are options.

Accepting help Many thousands of Minnesotans are serving as the primary caregivers of older adults in their lives. And most are reluctant to acknowledge the stress they feel as they battle fatigue, trouble sleeping, depression and stress-related weight gain or loss. What to do? Kathryn, Sylvia and John were able to receive helpful support from Senior Community Services, a Minnetonkabased nonprofit organization that coordinates and provides programs to help older adults and their caregivers.

Booth Manor Residence Support for Kathryn, Sylvia and John included things like home maintenance help, fellowship at senior centers, carecoordination support from experienced social workers and help with managing ongoing caregiving tasks, thanks to family and friends.

Sharing the load Kathryn said Senior Community Services’ CareNextion.org website became a new crucial tool for managing caregiving in her life, which included a multi-generational family with members as far away as Japan. “We got our extended family signed up on the care team and created a calendar of tasks,” she said. “Everyone helped out, which eased the burden on me.” With CareNextion, Kathryn could update everyone at once — averting the time-sapping chore of contacting relatives individually by phone or email. “CareNextion was the one place they could go to see: ‘What’s going on with Dad?’” she said. “It was so hard before, and it became so easy after we discovered CareNextion.” Sylvia, meanwhile, found great value in the support groups at her local senior center. “I was able to talk with other caregivers which helped me know I was not alone,” she said. “And my husband came along, too, enjoying the activities.” John and his mother found tremendous support from the Senior Outreach and Caregiver Services program. “A staff member visited us and she knew more than any other person we’d met,” he said. “She helped us find the

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Rest and run errands Caregivers must take care of themselves to avoid caregiver fatigue or burnout. Make time for yourself; a walk or time spent reading can help restore you. Consider an adult-day program for your older loved one. These programs offer a place for seniors in need of caregiving to socialize and get medical care and other services. Caregivers can use the down time to rest or run errands. In the end, it pays to do a reality check of your situation — and be prepared to seek out supportive services that can help ease the caregiving burden.

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Deb Taylor is CEO of Senior Community Services and its Reimagine Aging Institute, a nonprofit organization that advocates for older adults and helps seniors and caregivers maintain their independence through free or low-cost services. Learn more at seniorcommunity.org.

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Good Living / Travel

An artsy side of Iowa

Through the Eyes of Grant Wood

American Color Explosion Gothic

Retro Freedom

Experiencing Iowa

Couple Beers?

Gothic Spoonful

The Color Guide

Mike & Rosie

Explore art, history, culture, food and drink in Cedar Rapids, now celebrating the 125th birth anniversary of the man behind American Gothic By Carla Waldemar

Putting the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Gothâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; in Gothic 18 / February 2017 / Minnesota Good Age

American Artist

Photos courtesy of Cedar Rapids Gazette

The Lion Goes to the Theater Tonight

We Wish The Stage Wood Come

Classic

Remain True

Advance to Go-Go

American Hipster

American Upcycle

Andy & Edie

Spirit of Iowa

Iowadnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Take You For Granted

Liberty

Reflections of Iowa

Bounty

Intergalactic Gothic

Show You Care

Urban America Minnesota Good Age / February 2017 / 19

An artsy side of Iowa

The

stoic Iowa farmer with the pitchfork, the lady in the apron — it’s close to the most-recognized painting in the whole wide world. (It’s actually No. 2, second

only to Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa.) That iconic image, American Gothic, was painted by Iowa native Grant Wood in his Cedar Rapids studio in 1930. It won third place in the Art Institute of Chicago’s contest that year, and there it resides today. But everything else about Grant Wood belongs to Cedar Rapids — about 4 hours southeast of Minneapolis by car — where his 125th birth anniversary is being hailed all around town. Like Dorothy, the artist discovered there’s no place like home. After studying at our own MCAD (Minneapolis College of Art and Design) and a stint in France absorbing the Impressionists’ style, he returned to Cedar Rapids to paint what he knew and loved best — those rolling hills dotted with popcorn trees and earnest portraits of the locals. In an irreverent birthday salute, 26 life-size versions of the famous couple popped up all over town as part of an exhibit last summer called Overalls All Over: A Grant Wood Experience — Warhol-lookalikes Andy & Edie; urban hipsters with their lattes; a General Mills-sponsored Gothic Spoonful duo, to name a few.

20 / February 2017 / Minnesota Good Age

Life-size statues of the famous couple from Grant Woodâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s painting, American Gothic, were created in honor of his 125th birth anniversary. Photo courtesy of Go Cedar Rapids Minnesota Good Age / February 2017 / 21

An artsy side of Iowa

▲▲Brucemore estate tours cover a century of Cedar Rapids history through the lives of the three families who called the mansion home.

Celebrate Grant Wood Inside the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art you’ll find the real deal — the world’s largest collection of the artist’s work (300 pieces!), which hail his skills as a carpenter and metalworker, too. There’s even a corncob chandelier and a bench produced by students in the high-school woodworking class he taught. It sat outside the principal’s office inscribed with the admonishment: “The Way of the Transgressor is Hard.” But it’s the paintings that cause your jaw to drop — Woman with Plant (his mom in 1929) and landscapes like Young Corn of 1931 with its corrugated rows.

22 / February 2017 / Minnesota Good Age

→→Plan your trip See gocedarrapids.com to learn more about Iowa’s second-largest city, population 130,000 (after Des Moines’ 207,000). See tinyurl.com/ cedar-rapids-30 for a list of fun facts about Cedar Rapids.

Also the works of his BFF, fellow painter, Marvin Cone, the kid who’d come by the local Carnegie Library where a teenage Grant would sleep to guard its artworks. Marvin would toss pebbles at the window and yell, “Wake up, Grant! We’ve got to go to school.” A few blocks away stands Grant’s miniscule loft apartmentturned-studio (Grant Wood Studio and Visitors Center), which he designed in a sort of Surrealism-meets-Frank-Lloyd-Wright style with curvy walls and built-ins (but no stove, only a hot plate). He shared the digs with his mother and his sister, Nan, his frequent models. (Nan is his gothic farmwife.) A docent, who was standing nearby on my visit, was eager to share a naughty story about his get-even-with-Conservatives painting of the ladies of the D.A.R. (You can giggle at a copy of his Daughters of Revolution at our own Black Forest Inn in Minneapolis.) Grant’s front door, fashioned from a coffin lid, flaunts a clock-face dial that indicates his whereabouts — taking a bath, throwing a party, etc.

Brucemore tours Only a mile and a half up the road is Brucemore estate with its Queen Anne mansion, also open for tours. Here, after retiring from teaching to pursue art age 35, Grant was hired to decorate a sleeping porch for the family’s daughter

— a bower of plaster-relief roses and forest creatures for which, in 1924, he was paid $182 (currently worth: $3.5 million). A highlight — or lowlight — of the gorgeous mansion is a man-cave in the basement called the Tahitian Room, an exuberantly tacky homage climaxing in a rain wall. And where other manly men might keep only a hunting dog, one of the home’s former residents, Howard Hall, kept a lion as a pet — and not just any lion, but the one from the MGM logo. Hall — who clearly had connections — was allowed to visit the set while Gone with the Wind was being filmed, and to bring his home movie camera. Today in the visitors center you can see the resulting footage, capturing Clark Gable sneaking a smoke and Olivia de Havilland touching up her lipstick.

Off the beaten path Speaking of movies, a gorgeous downtown movie palace of 1928 has been restored as home of Theatre Cedar Rapids, where Wood was a founding member. Nearby, the Paramount — another ultra-Deco beauty — also has been reclaimed to host musical performances. Continue to the pretty campus of Coe College, whose library sports a mini-museum of works by Marvin Cone, who established its Art Department in 1934. You’ll also find Wood’s portrait of Cone as well as Wood’s ⊳⊳ Cedar Rapids’ National Czech & Slovak Museum includes colorful embroidered costumes. Photos courtesy of Go Cedar Rapids

Minnesota Good Age / February 2017 / 23

An artsy side of Iowa

⊳⊳ Raygun peddles its own snarky, sometimes political, T-shirts and other gifts in Cedar Rapids. Photos courtesy of Go Cedar Rapids

seven immense mural figures, originally painted to decorate a coffee shop. (Yes, that’s Mrs. Cone posing as a farmwife.) In the library, check out works by Picasso and Matisse. At the Iowa Masonic Library, cut a path through its collections, donated by eccentric hobbyists, to gaze at Wood’s The First Three Degrees of Freemasonry of 1921. And do not miss the Veterans Memorial Building, where Wood lobbied to create an immense stained glass window

eled dishpan. Continue to the museum’s Freedom exhibit, where figures of the 19th and 20th centuries “speak” of why they fled here (serfdom, then a Communist dictatorship). The story of the Czech and Slovak people is told from the ninth century onward, climaxing in a vivid flurry of embroidered costumes and a collection of stylish blown glass, a favorite Czech art form. The surrounding village boasts a treasury of bakeries

depicting six soldiers — one for each American war — including the shirtless figure representing 1812, rumored to be Wood’s boyfriend. The artist had never worked in glass before, but sped off to Munich for a crash course, which irked Cedar Rapids’ citizens no end — like sleeping with the enemy so close to the end of World War I.

(think kolaches), antiques shops and the Lion Bridge Brewing Company (tour, sip and eat). Cross the iconic Lion Bridge to NewBo, aka New Bohemia, and its meeting place, the NewBo covered market, built during a rehab after the city’s disastrous 2008 flood and today also hosting free gatherings such as yoga classes and bike crawls. Across the street, a bookstore rests under a performance space and, beside it, Brewhemia, an artist-forward coffeehouse (featuring breakfast bonanzas like cinnamon rolls far too big to be legal). Nearby is Raygun, a retail space sporting snarky designs for mugs, towels and T-shirts with bold slogans like “Cedar Rapids: More Than Just Sex Appeal” and “Listened to NPR Before It Was Cool.”

Czech Village Of course, there’s more to life in Cedar Rapids than the works of Mr. Wood. Take the Czech Village, for starters, anchored by the National Czech & Slovak Museum, with its Immigrant House of the 1880s, complete with an accordion, gas lamps and an enam24 / February 2017 / Minnesota Good Age

Where to eat Start munching at The Class Act in the design-y Kirkwood Hotel, starring scallops paired with bulgur salad and tomato, preceding bacon-wrapped rabbit; duck breast with parsnip puree and pickled cherries; or deconstructed pot pie. Head to White Star Ale House for brews galore, abetted by entrees featuring the kind of pork (shank, chop) that put Iowa on the map. And don’t miss a breakfast at the ultimate diner, Riley’s Café, famed for eggs-plus-meat-plus-biscuits-plus more, with waitresses that call you “Baby” and keep the coffee coming. Obama ate here in 2012 and signed the wall to prove it. ▲▲Lion Bridge Brewing Company in Cedar Rapids’ Czech Village sells small-batch beers and pub-style fare.

▲▲NewBo City Market — housed in a revamped industrial building in Cedar Rapids — is where locals serve up homegrown foods, art and events.

Carla Waldemar is an award-winning food/travel/arts writer. She edits the annual Zagat Survey of Twin Cities restaurants and writes food and travel articles for publications around the world. She lives in Uptown. Minnesota Good Age / February 2017 / 25

Good Living / Housing / By Sarah Jackson

HOUSING SPOTLIGHT

⊳⊳ Trillium Woods in Plymouth was recently honored for its modern, prairie-style architecture when it was named a finalist for a 2016 Senior Housing News Architecture & Design Award.

OPTIONS ABOUND HERE

→→Trillium Woods

→→Trillium Woods’ campus offers units large and small, including duplex-style homes

Opened: July 2015

Trillium Woods, which opened in Plymouth in July 2015, isn’t what you’d

call a typical senior housing facility. Built on 46 acres of rolling hills, woodlands and protected wetlands in Plymouth — off 494 and Schmidt Lake Road — it’s large enough to offer not just one- and two-bedroom independent living apartments, but also duplex-style garden homes with garages, plus suites dedicated to specialties such as skilled nursing, rehabilitation, memory care and respite care. Why are there so many types of units? Trillium Woods is, technically speaking, an upscale Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC). Wait, scratch that. There’s a new term for this type of facility: Trillium Woods is a Life Plan Community (LPC). No, that’s not marketing language from the facility’s owners. It’s a new housing category name for more than 2,000 CCRCs in the U.S. that offer a continuum of health care, starting with independent living and ending with full-time skilled-nursing care, if needed. LeadingAge, an association of not-for-profit aging-services providers, has lead the charge on the industry-wide naming convention, taking two years to get to this point. 26 / February 2017 / Minnesota Good Age

Location: 5855 Cheshire Parkway N., Plymouth Number and types of units: 209 one- and two-bedroom apartments with dens, duplexstyle garden homes with garages, plus suites dedicated to skilled nursing, rehabilitation, memory care and respite care Ages welcome: 62 and older Types of care: Independent living, assisted living, skilled nursing, memory care, long-term care and 24-hour emergency assistance by licensed health care professionals Cost: Entrance fees for a single resident start at $300,000 and monthly fees start at $3,100. Ownership: Trillium Woods is owned and managed by Life Care Services, based in Des Moines, Iowa. Info: 763-744-9400 or trilliumwoodslcs.com

⊳⊳ One of Trillium Woods’ claims to fame is its high level of resident choice and flexibility when it comes to experiences and activities.

Why? Today’s older adults — baby boomers — are looking for ways to experience life and reinvent themselves in retirement. The phrase “continuing care” suggests that residents will be immediately in need of care, which can be misleading since the primary focus of many senior-living communities is active lifestyles. So if you start to see more LPCs — and fewer CCRCs — in the years ahead in Minnesota, now you’ll know why. Another feature that sets apart Trillium Woods is its contemporary-designed buildings. Last year, the facility for ages 62 and older was honored for its modern, prairie-style architecture when it was named a finalist for a 2016 Senior Housing News Architecture & Design Award in the CCRC category. Trillium Woods is also LEED Certified by the U.S. Green Building Council, thanks in part to a geothermal system that relies on 240-foot-deep wells that provide extremely energy-efficient heating and cooling. At the resident level, Trillium Woods’ claim to fame is that it puts a heavy emphasis on resident choice and flexibility when it comes to experiences and activities. In fact, resident committees influence the social, recreational and cultural programs in the community, which is focused on residents’ well being, including fitness, nutrition and active and social engagements. In 2016, Trillium Woods was named Best Senior Living Residence by Plymouth Magazine. Last month, The Birches health center at Trillium Woods received a five-star rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, a federal agency that created a rating system to help consumers compare senior communities more easily.

▲▲The Trillium Woods retirement community, build on 46 acres in Plymouth, features expansive grounds with walking and biking trails.

Services offered: ⊲⊲ Clubhouse, fitness center and a heated indoor pool ⊲⊲ Auditorium, spirituality room and library ⊲⊲ Cafe, dining room and cocktail lounge, including chef-prepared meals ⊲⊲ A full-service spa and salon ⊲⊲ Scenic views from common spaces and residences ⊲⊲ Social, recreational and cultural programs ⊲⊲ Community grounds with walking and biking trails ⊲⊲ Underground reserved parking ⊲⊲ Concierge and valet services ⊲⊲ Home maintenance services ⊲⊲ Relocation or home-selling assistance services.

Do you know of a new or interesting senior housing facility in the Twin Cities that might make a good Housing Spotlight? Write Minnesota Good Age editor Sarah Jackson at editor@mngoodage.com with the subject line Housing Spotlight. Minnesota Good Age / February 2017 / 27

Good Living / Finance / By Skip Johnson

THE GREAT (FINANCIAL) MIGRATION →→Snowbirds need to consider financial implications before they take flight

Being a snowbird has become a rite of passage for many Minnesotans

as thousands of our great state’s retirees head south for the winter. In search of warm weather, they travel to sunny climates such as Florida, Arizona, California and Texas. The reasons for this great migration are many, including a winter of sunshine and a chance to enjoy outdoor activities year-round. However, along with the decision to split their time between both states, snowbirds need to consider financial and tax implications before they take flight. Whether you’re a veteran snowbird or considering becoming one, the following ideas can help you experience a more financially sound transition.

Housing Perhaps the biggest question to answer is what to do about housing, and the question needs to be answered on several levels. ⊲⊲ Will you rent or own your winter home? If you do choose to buy, it may be preferable to rent for at least the first year so you have a better lay of the land. Buying sight unseen or on a rushed weekend isn’t advisable. You may return to Minnesota with a serious case of buyer’s remorse. ⊲⊲ If you buy, find out if your place falls under a homeowner’s association. If it does, be aware how the HOA costs are calculated and if there are risks of those costs rising based on tenant occupancy. ⊲⊲ What will you do with the home you leave behind? Is there a friend who can check on your home periodically for any maintenance/security problems and to collect unsolicited fliers left at the door? Will you have someone provide snowremoval services? 28 / February 2017 / Minnesota Good Age

⊲⊲ Will you have your U.S. mail held, picked up by a friend or forwarded to your temporary residence? ⊲⊲ Should you install a security system that you can monitor remotely? ⊲⊲ Can you put some of your bills (for either property) on autopay to avoid any accidental late payments? ⊲⊲ Could you suspend or put on hold services such as cable/Internet, newspaper subscriptions and garbage service to save money?

Taxes Will your winter residence become a permanent place to live for part of the year or will you be making minimigrations within your larger one? If you do plan to set down roots, have you researched the area where you’ll land? And, are you aware of the tax implications if you choose to officially live in one state versus another? These are all factors that can make a difference in your bank account — and your nest egg: ⊲⊲ Some states don’t impose income taxes.

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Develop a comprehensive plan that examines all costs related to maintaining two residences and explore ways to trim any fat. ⊲⊲ Some states offer more favorable taxes regarding pensions, annuities and retirement accounts. ⊲⊲ Some states don’t tax Social Security income. ⊲⊲ When you fund your adventure, will your funds be coming from taxable accounts or tax-deferred accounts such as IRAs? As with any investment of this magnitude, look for professional advice to guide you through the myriad financial and tax decisions before you take flight. That way, you can remove that worry while you enjoy your winter haven, and keep living well in retirement. Skip Johnson is an advisor and partner at Great Waters Financial, a financial-planning firm and insurance agency with locations in Minneapolis, New Hope, Plymouth and White Bear Lake. Johnson appears regularly on FOX 9’s morning news show. Learn more at mygreatwaters.com.

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Heart Failure Study Seeking Volunteer Participants The Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation® is recruiting patients for a stem cell trial sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This research study will be the first cardiac stem cell trial in the United States to deliver a combination of two different stem cells to the heart. The study hopes to create new blood vessel growth to improve the blood supply to the heart, and improve the heart’s ability to pump blood. If you have a reduced ejection fraction (LVEF < 40%) due to previous damage from heart attacks or coronary artery disease, you may qualify for this study. Testing is provided at no cost to you. To learn if you may be eligible for this research, please contact: Terri Arndt at 612-863-7821 or Theresa.Arndt@allina.com. This study is sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. MPLS Heart Institute Foundation GA 0217 H4.indd 1

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Good Living / In the Kitchen / By Sarah Jackson

E I G G E V R! E W PO Source: Adapted from Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Test Kitchen 100 Recipes: The Absolute Best Ways to Make the True Essentials 30 / February 2017 / Minnesota Good Age

Steaming vegetables is quick and easy, but the flavor isn’t much to write home about, is it? Did you known almost any vegetable can be roasted in the oven to enhance sweetness and overall flavor? It’s true! And it’s surprisingly effective with broccoli and Brussels sprouts, too. Try this recipe from America’s Test Kitchen to see for yourself.

ROASTED BROCCOLI 1¾ pounds broccoli (one large bunch with multiple heads) 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon sugar Fresh ground pepper, to taste Lemon wedges (optional)

⊲⊲Place a rimmed heavy-duty baking sheet in the oven and heat the oven to 500 degrees. ⊲⊲Cut broccoli into bite-size pieces. Florets should be cut in half to maximize the flat surface area of each piece. This will allow for more browning and caramelization. Peel the thick stalks with a vegetable peeler and cut them into bite-size pieces, too. (This is extra trouble, but is worth it.) ⊲⊲Put broccoli in large bowl and drizzle with oil and toss well until evenly coated. ⊲⊲Sprinkle with salt, sugar and pepper, and toss to combine. ⊲⊲Remove sheet from oven and quickly (and carefully) transfer broccoli to the baking sheet. ⊲⊲Spread the pieces out into even layer, placing flat sides of broccoli pieces down. ⊲⊲Return sheet to oven and roast until stalks are well browned and tender and florets are lightly browned, 9 to 11 minutes. ⊲⊲Transfer to platter and serve immediately with lemon wedges.

TOP DOCTOR

Dr. Anne Murray’s extraordinary journey into gerontology has led her to remarkable discoveries that may help older adults tremendously.

BY STEPHANIE FOX

t would be an understatement to call Dr. Anne Murray an overachiever. From early on, she was drawn to helping people. But her path from tiny Wells, Minn., to becoming a widely admired physician and an internationally recognized medical researcher, took a meandering route. When Murray was young, her family moved from Wells to Minneapolis. Her father was a dentist and her mother was a medical records librarian, so it wasn’t surprising that she developed an early interest in biology.

Germany and Colombia After high school, Murray headed to college at the University of Minnesota, and in her senior year, accepted a scholarship at the Goethe Institute at the University of Freiburg, learning German and studying German history. After a year in Germany, Murray was back at the University of Minnesota, graduating with a bachelor’s in physiology.

⊳⊳ Dr. Anne Murray, a Minneapolis-based geriatrician, internist and epidemiologist, has spent decades specializing dementia care and research, including multiple studies that show a connection between kidney disease and memory loss. Photo by Tracy Walsh Minnesota Good Age / February 2017 / 33

TOP DOCTOR “I was deciding between medical school and public health, but to get accepted as a public health grad student, I needed to do a year of volunteer work,” she said. So she ended up in Pereira, a city in Colombia’s western mountains, helping out a group of nuns at a local orphanage. “I enjoyed the work and was hoping to stay the year — until an earthquake destroyed the orphanage,” Murray said. They were able to get all the kids out safely. But her visa was in jeopardy with the orphanage in ruins. She loved the country — and speaking Spanish — and wanted to stay. A friend, a priest, gave her some advice on how to handle the local bureaucracy in order to extend her visa. “I brought a bottle of Scotch and an envelope with a few dollars in it to a meeting with the city’s mayor,” she said. “It worked.” Murray stayed, teaching English before returning to the University of Minnesota Medical School, graduating in 1984.

Harvard and back again From the U, Murray headed to Mayo Clinic to finish her residency in internal medicine and then on to a three-year fellowship in geriatrics at Harvard, following her husband George, a radiologist, who was there on his own fellowship in interventional radiology. While there, she received a master’s in epidemiology and gained experience in dementia research, which included collecting data for the landmark East Boston study of Alzheimer’s, one of the first community-based studies of dementia in the U.S. “Harvard gave me excellent training and experience researching delirium and Alzheimer’s disease,” Murray said. But amid Harvard’s cutthroat culture, the couple — who had two sons during their time in Boston — found themselves yearning for the Midwest. They landed next in Wausau, Wis., where Murray worked at a chronic-care facility and also taught geriatrics to residents in family medicine. She enjoyed the work, but missed the academic stimulation. So Murray signed on to Chicago’s Rush Institute to work on the renowned Religious Orders Study, which followed more than a thousand Catholic nuns, priests and brothers, examining changes in the brain that could cause dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Participants in the study agreed to clinical and cognitive testing and to donate their brains after death. The study turned out to be a blueprint for other dementia and Alzheimer’s studies. 34 / February 2017 / Minnesota Good Age

“I was always interested in dementia,” Murray said, adding that working with the Religious Orders Study reminded her of something important: “You can’t do real dementia research without seeing the patients.” And so, from then on, Murray vowed to one day start her own study of dementia. But first, she returned to the Twin Cities. In 1997, she began working as a geriatrician at the Hennepin County Medical Center’s Senior Care Clinic at the Augustana Health Care Center of Minneapolis.

→→Donate Anyone who would like to donate to Dr. Anne Murray’s dementia and aging research fund at the Minneapolis Medical Research Foundation at the HCMC, can contact Amy Carlson at 612-873-9250 or amy.carlson@hcmed.org. Go to mmrf.org/donate-to-mmrf to learn more.

⊳⊳ Both Mpls St Paul Magazine and Minnesota Monthly have honored Dr. Anne Murray for her extraordinary skills as a clinician over the years. Murray is known for her warm demeanor with patients and research subjects. Photo by Tracy Walsh

Named ‘Best Doctor’ Murray soon gained a following and was named one of Mpls St Paul Magazine’s top doctors in multiple years and recently landed on Minnesota Monthly’s Best Doctor lists in 2014 and 2015, too. Lois Eid, one of Murray’s many patients, was struck by Murray’s exceptionally kind bedside manner. “She is the most incredibly warm and loving [physician],” Eid said. “When you’re with her, you’re upper most in her attention.” Dr. Murray also began working as a geriatric epidemiologist at HCMC for the U.S. Renal Data System in 2003, studying how common dementia and disability were in patients who were on dialysis. Murray had noticed that many patients on dialysis seemed to have significant mental impairment, but it was rarely mentioned in their medical charts. Their kidney doctors (nephrologists) hadn’t seemed to recognize the problem. “But, the nurses knew,” she said. “The nurses noticed.” So Murray decided research on the problem was needed and began her first clinical study of dementia in 374 patients in 14 dialysis units in the Twin Cities. Murray’s study showed that about two-thirds of the studied hemodialysis patients — age 55 and older — had dementia-level cognitive impairment. But only 5 percent had memory problems recorded on their medical charts. It was a significant finding, given the fact that there are currently about 500,000 dialysis patients in the U.S. In 2009, Murray began her next study, the BRINK study — short for The Brain In Kidney Disease — investigating cognitive impairment in elderly patients with advanced kidney disease, anemia and diabetes. At the same time, Murray became the lead geriatrician researcher for the NIH-funded ASPREE study — Aspirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly — set up to see if low-dose daily aspirin would reduce the risk of dementia, disability and death in 19,000 healthy seniors age 70 and older in the U.S. and Australia. The ASPREE study is now in its sixth year and Murray is now the principal U.S. investigator. In 2016, Murray became director and head researcher at the Berman Center for Clinical Outcomes and Research in Minneapolis, home of the BRINK study and a division of the Minneapolis Medical Research Foundation, the research arm of HCMC.

Patients with advanced kidney disease have a 50 to 60 percent increased risk of dementia. Our results could end up changing the way kidney patients are treated for memory loss and could give doctors a better understanding of the causes of various kinds of dementia, influencing care and treatment of patients with the disease. — Dr. Anne Murray

TOP DOCTOR Kidney function and memory loss The aim of the BRINK study, originally funded by the National Institute on Aging, was to learn why advanced kidney disease patients — those who have lost about half or more of their kidney function, but who aren’t yet on dialysis — also suffer from memory problems and dementia. She recruited 574 volunteers, some with kidney problems and some who were study controls, for blood draws, MRIs and cognitive tests. Subjects came in every three months for repeat tests and brain games to keep track of their cognition. “What I and others have found is that as kidney function declines, so does brain function,” Murray said. “Patients with advanced kidney disease have a 50 to 60 percent increased risk of dementia. Our results could end up changing the way kidney patients are treated for memory loss and could give doctors a better understanding of the causes of various kinds of dementia, influencing care and treatment of patients with the disease.” These are important results for the 3 million people with advanced chronic kidney disease in the U.S. — and another 5 million with a mild form of the disease. One of Murray’s patients, a 90-year-old woman named June, said that when Murray asked her to take part in the study as a control subject, she jumped at the chance. “I’ve been part of the project since the beginning and enjoy doing this,” she said. “As an elderly lady myself, it’s a way I can do volunteer work. I was curious. Each time I’m called in to do memory tests using the words, numbers and shapes, I get to test my own memory. And it’s fun.” David Knopman, a neurologist and professor of neurology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, has been working on the study with Murray, who he’s known for nearly 20 years. “Murray is trained in gerontology, but she’s acquired extraordinary knowledge of neurology, especially in regards to cognitive impairment,” Knopman said. “There probably aren’t more than a dozen people in the world with this combination of knowledge for whom research is their focus.”

Struggles with funding In November, Murray and her team presented some of the results of the BRINK study at a Chicago meeting of the American Society of Nephrology, including a finding that increased inflammation in

36 / February 2017 / Minnesota Good Age

kidney disease may contribute to dementia and that anemia also appears to increase the risk. Still more research is needed, Murray said, and the hope is that the study can continue for several years. Unfortunately, that may not happen. Major funding for the study ran out in October and the research is currently funded by bridge grants and donations. “I love my research, but it’s a struggle to keep the funding coming,” Murray said. “I always have to push for it, and it drains me.” During the past few years, there’s been a push for dementia and Alzheimer’s-related research, but government funding is on the decline and there’s heightened competition, said Sarah Pederson, the project manager for the Minneapolis Medical Research Foundation, who has worked with Murray for the past 15 years. “We continue to pursue long-term funding sources,” Pederson said. “But we will need to rely on donations and bridge funding to keep the BRINK study going in the interim.” In 2016, Congress voted to give the National Institutes of Health more than $33 billion in funding for various projects. “The headliner is Alzheimer’s,” Knopman said. “Alzheimer’s funding has bipartisan support. But it’s the related disorders, including other cognitive disorders in the elderly, that get ignored.” Murray would like to continue her research for another five years at least. But without guaranteed funding, it’s hard to keep the study going and pay staff and researchers. “We’ve got the only collection of patients like this in the country,” she said. “We are the only research group with MRIs and blood tests.”

Hugs and all Meanwhile, Murray isn’t losing touch with patients. She still helps out at the Augustana clinic and teaches geriatric fellows (young doctors doing further training after their residencies). “I love geriatrics,” she said. “I love taking care of older people because of how much I learn from them. They have wonderful stories and an appreciation of life you don’t see elsewhere.” Her former patients miss her, including Lois Eid. “When she left the practice, after my husband’s first check up with another doctor, I asked my husband what he thought. ‘She’s good,’ he told me, ‘But she doesn’t give hugs like Dr. Murray.’” Stephanie Fox is a freelance journalist who lives in Minneapolis.

I love geriatrics. I love taking care of older people because of how much I learn from them. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Dr. Anne Murray

A graduate of the University of Minnesota Medical School, Mayo Clinic and Harvard University, Dr. Anne Murray is an admired physician and an internationally recognized medical researcher. Photo by Tracy Walsh Minnesota Good Age / February 2017 / 37

February

Can’tMiss Calendar

St. Paul Winter Carnival

→→Check out ice carving, snow sculpting, skiing, dogsledding, a torchlight parade and more than 75 other special events. When: Jan. 26–Feb. 5

Where: St. Paul

Cost: Most events are FREE.

Info: wintercarnival.com

Ongoing

Feb. 3–5

Where the Children Sleep

City of Lakes Loppet Festival

→→This emotional exhibition features 22 photographs of refugee children — in the Middle East and Europe fleeing the conflict in Syria — taken by award-winning Swedish photojournalist Magnus Wennman. When: Through March 5 Where: American Swedish Institute, Minneapolis Cost: Institute admission is $10 for adults, $7 for ages 62 and older, $5 for ages 6-18 and free for members and ages 5 and younger. Info: asimn.org

Feb. 1–April 19

MovementWise →→Dance, explore your creativity, engage your mind and socialize with like-minded people in this community-oriented dance class for ages 50 and older who want to explore a wide variety of dance forms, including social, modern, ballet and percussive styles. No experience is required.

When: Winter classes will be from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Feb. 1 to April 19. Where: The Cowles Center for Dance and the Performing Arts, Minneapolis Cost: Fees are $10 per class or $80 for a MovementWise membership, which includes 12 classes, a free ticket to a select Cowles Center performance, discounted show tickets and invites to exclusive membership events. Info: Register by contacting Jessi Fett at jfett@thecowlescenter.org or 612-206-3640.

38 / February 2017 / Minnesota Good Age

→→This cabin-fever reliever and crosscountry ski event features races and games for all ages, plus skijoring, a snow-sculpting contest, beer gardens, food trucks, a vendor village and more. Not planning to race? Check out the spectator info page — at tinyurl. com/loppet-spectators — including race maps and schedules, event locations and shuttle options, too (recommended). When: Feb. 3–5 Where: Minneapolis Cost: FREE Info: loppet.org

Hudson Hot Air Affair →→Go balloon watching and enjoy a variety of activities including hot air balloon launches, geocaching,

Can’t-Miss Calendar read to them. In this 2003 Pulitzer Prize-winning drama, the lector introduces workers to Anna Karenina, and the Tampa factory starts to mirror the scandalous Russian aristocracy of Tolstoy’s classic. When: Feb. 11–March 12 Where: The Jungle Theater, Minneapolis Cost: $35–$45 Info: jungletheater.com

Feb. 12–April 23

Urban Expedition →→Experience cultures from around the world — including music, dance, live animals, crafts and more — at the Landmark Center’s international event series, returning for its 13th season.

Oh Freedom!

→→This production, subtitled The Story of the Underground Railroad, tells the tale of Harriet Tubman — as well as accounts of lesser-known heroes, including “Peg Leg” Joe (who moved among plantations, teaching slaves to escape) and Henry “Box” Brown (who had himself put in a box and mailed to freedom) — in honor of Black History Month. When: Feb. 3–19 Where: Youth Performance Company, Howard Conn Performing Arts Center, Minneapolis Cost: $12–$15 Info: youthperformanceco.org

smooshboarding, arts and crafts and an evening parade, all along the St. Croix River. When: Feb. 3–5 Where: Hudson, Wis. Cost: Many activities are free. Info: hudsonhotairaffair.com

Feb. 11

Siama’s Afrobilly →→Take A Rhythmic Journey Through Africa’s Joyous Music with a singalong in Kikongo, Swahili and Lingala in this rare opportunity to learn the traditional singing styles of the DR Congo, East Africa and beyond. When: 2–3 p.m. Feb. 11 Where: Nokomis Public Library, Minneapolis Cost: FREE Info: compas.org

Feb. 11–March 12

Anna in the Tropics →→When Cuban immigrants brought the cigar-making industry to Florida in the 19th century, they carried with them another tradition: As the workers toiled away, hand-rolling cigars, a lector — typically well-dressed and well-spoken — would

When: 1 p.m. Feb. 12 (Switzerland), March 12 (Colombia), April 9 (Togo) and April 23 (Burma) Where: Landmark Center, St. Paul Cost: FREE. Food representative of the featured countries will be available for purchase. Info: landmarkcenter.org

Feb. 14

The Love Show →→Back by popular demand, this allnew Valentine’s Day event features Minnesota’s storytelling laureate with special guests Dan Chouinard, Bradley Greenwald, Prudence Johnson, Simone Perrin, Claudia Schmidt and Dane Stauffer. This year’s show highlights Dynamic Duos, Tender Trios and O Solo Me-Ohs that celebrate the best thing about being human — love. When: 7:30 p.m. Feb. 14 Where: The O’Shaughnessy at St. Catherine University, St. Paul Cost: $29 Info: oshag.stkate.edu

→→More online! Find more events on the new Minnesota Good Age website at mngoodage.com/cant-misscalendar. Send your events at least six weeks in advance (with photos) to calendar@mngoodage.com. Minnesota Good Age / February 2017 / 39

Brain teasers Sudoku

Word Search PERSONAL FINANCE AMORTIZATION BANK BENEFIT BUDGET CHECKBOOK COMFORT CREDIT

DONATION EXPENSES FUND GOAL HABIT INCOME INVESTMENT

MONEY NESTEGG PENNIES PENSION RETIREMENT SAVINGS TAXES

O M

M W N

U W

Cryptogram

Break the code to reveal a quote from a famous person. Each letter represents another letter.

M O

Source: Benjamin Franklin

B D E

N V R M

T X

K S Z I W

M D R W

E S N V R E J

N S

Word Scramble

T X

, B X Z N D R E ,

X H B X U N

W X D N V

Complete the following words using each given letter once. IR

. N D H X M .

ITE E

2. The U.S. Treasury Inspector General (800-366-4484)

D E W

1. 70 1/2

R E

Clue: R = I

3. More than 54,000

TRIVIA

Answers 40 / February 2017 / Minnesota Good Age

Thank You

Trivia TAX BREAKS 1. Congress recently passed legislation that made donating money from an individual retirement account to a charity a permanent tax break for people of what age?

For Helping Us Achieve These Awards

2. If you’re targeted by IRS scammers, who do you call to report the incident? 3. How many Americans were targeted by IRS scammers in 2014? Source: AARP.org

Best Electrician

Previous Awards 2015–2014, 2011–2007 & 2001

3rd year in a row

Harrison Electric, Inc. is licensed, bonded & insured for your family’s safety.

SUDOKU Pirate, Papers, Sprite

WORD SCRAMBLE

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CROSSWORD

Answers

In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.

CRYTPOGRAM

Crossword 67 Joint commonly replaced

ACROSS 1 Most musicals have two 5 Start to faceted or purpose 10 Modern organizers, for short 14 Countenance 15 In front 16 Wine prefix 17 First chip in the poker pot 18 Football with scrums 19 Songwriter Kristofferson 20 Player who shoots par regularly 23 Malted relative 24 Magnolia State school, familiarly 27 Baseball misplays 31 Calendar page 32 Floppy disk backup device 35 Forest official 36 Angsty rock genre 42 / February 2017 / Minnesota Good Age

37 Michelangelo statue 39 R&B’s __ Hill 40 Changes gears 43 Ballad for a valentine 46 Start of a Poitier film title 47 Seek ambitiously 48 O. Henry works 50 Mexican dip 54 Virtually zero, and where the ends of 20-, 32- and 43-Across are literally situated 58 Slick-talking 60 Jokes and such 61 Cupid 62 Save for binge-watching, say 63 ’50s nuclear trial 64 Dressed in 65 River of Hades 66 Barcelona babies

DOWN 1 Accumulate, as a fortune 2 Easy-peasy task 3 Aquarium fish 4 Moved stealthily 5 Artist Chagall 6 “Nah” 7 __ Mason: investment giant 8 No-nos 9 Poem of rustic life 10 Critters hunted with a hugely popular 2016 mobile app 11 Heroic exploits 12 Young Darth’s nickname 13 Distress signal at sea 21 La. or Dak., once 22 Disaster relief org. 25 Titanic rear end 26 “So what” shoulder gesture 28 Fabric flaws 29 Egg: Pref. 30 Fishing line holders 32 Thin citrus peels 33 Words spoken by a sweater? 34 Plant responsible for much itching 35 Sitarist Shankar 38 High side 41 Locomotive furnace 42 Cereal coveted by a silly rabbit 44 Former “formerly” 45 Seattle football pro 47 Sharp as a tack 49 Wharton’s Frome 51 Chihuahua citrus fruit 52 Boring lecture, for example 53 Share the same opinion 55 Dark clouds, perhaps 56 Aroma detector 57 Leftover bits 58 Classic sports cars 59 Set fire to