Lately, I have received dozens of Medicare questions from individuals throughout the country who graduated from high school in 1965. What do they all have in common? All are over 65. While most still work and have health coverage through an employer or as a dependent spouse, some enroll in traditional Medicare Part A & Part B. Medicare may be primary or act as the secondary payer for covered services after a group health plan pays its portion. Recently, a news story reported that a person was hospitalized while traveling outside his home state. After recovering, the individual returned home to over $23,000 in medical bills. A call to the individual’s health plan was futile. Soon, “past due” notices arrived, and bill collectors were threatening seizure of assets and court action. It seems that in the hospital, the sick person could not provide a health plan card. A well-meaning friend gave the hospital a health membership card from the ill person’s wallet. Unfortunately, it was an expired card from a former employer. The hospital’s claim based on that incorrect information was rejected. Once the correct health plan card was provided along with information that showed Medicare was the secondary payer, benefits were coordinated and the final bill was correctly reduced from $23,000 to less than $70. Lesson learned: Whether you are traveling or just being at home, make sure your loved ones, close friends and care partners know how to reach the person you have designated to provide all of your current insurance claim membership cards.
808-230-3379 | getmartha@aol.com | www.Get2insurance.com MORNING DRIVE WITH MARTHA — A radio program with Martha Khlopin KNDI-1270AM: Weekdays, 4:30 am – 6 am
Medicare: Don’t Leave Home Without It! by Martha Khlopin, Radio Host of “Morning Drive With Martha” from the June-May 2016 issue of Generations Magazine, Hawai‘i’s Resource for Life
Boost your brain by joining the Hawai‘i State Public Library System’s 2016 Adult Summer Reading Program from June 5 to July 16. Build your brainpower and commit to deep reading 20 minutes daily. Studies have shown that reading reduces stress, makes you a better speaker and keeps your thinking sharp.
How to Participate
• Visit any of the 50 public librariesto sign up and receive a program guide.
• Read at least 20 minutes daily — books, magazines, e-books, e-magazines — to exercise your brain and earn free incentives.
• Complete four out of six weeks and receive a free puzzle or adult coloring book.
• Enter lucky prize drawings.
Disconnect to Reconnect
Beverly C. Wong, a retired secretary with 40 years of combined public service on O‘ahu, loves the Salt Lake-Moanalua Public Library and reading, which both help to keep her brain fit. Photo by Paul Mark
Take up the challenge and turn off the television, video games and other electronic devices. Make reading a family affair and bring your grandchildren to the library each week. Everyone from keiki to ku¯puna can join the Summer Reading Program. Entertaining and educational programs will be held throughout the summer.
Visit online for updates and information about the HSPLS Summer Reading Program.
Public libraries statewide provide free multicultural, year-round programs that encourage reading and lifelong learning for all ages. Contact the hosting library for more information.
Mahalo to the Friends of the Library of Hawai‘i and the 2016 Summer Reading Sponsors!
HAWAI‘I STATE PUBLIC LIBRARIES SYSTEM BRANCHES Locations, Contact Information and Hours of Operation: www.librarieshawaii.org
Exercise Your Reading Muscles This Summer by HSPLS Library Development Services Staff from the June-May 2016 issue of Generations Magazine, Hawai‘i’s Resource for Life
Whether singing, producing CDs, acting, developing Kamehameha School alumni or leading community organizations, Marlene Sai does everything from the heart. Judy Garland onced asked, “When do the words come true?” Marlene turns her love songs into reality by the sheer will of her aloha and proven business savvy. We joined Marlene on the site of her latest project, renovating a 114-year-old building to house a senior center.
The Ka‘akako “pump house” looks so out of place in a forest of towering modern high-rises. For decades, rumors spread that it would be turned into a museum, a restaurant, fine shops or even a car dealership. Now, for the first time in 66 years, Pacific Gateway Center will put this historic industrial building back into use as a community center. This $2.5 million renovation project is supported by an HCDA grant-in-aid and additional funding by the legislature. Remediation of the interior is in progress under the direction of Project Coordinator Marlene Sai, a woman with a reputation for energy, grace, aloha and a remarkable ability to get things done.
PBS documentary “Betrayal”
Marlene Sai, an actress, vocalist and music executive, is popularly known as a grand dame of Hawaiian music, whose signature songs “Kainoa” and “Waikīkī,” and portrayal of Lili‘uokalani in the PBS documentary “Betrayal” won her fame and many awards. What many may not know is that Marlene also worked in administration at Kamehameha Schools and built its alumni department, while continuing to perform select “gigs.”
Before balancing work and family was ever mentioned, she was raising her two daughters and in the mainstream of two careers. “I have always been in entertainment and always worked every day in an office — even when I was performing nightly in Waikīkī,” said Marlene. Today, she is driving the Pacific Gateway Center project, Nā Kūpuna Makamae Center, and also leading important community projects, such as Kūpuna Power and the Prince Kuhio Hawaiian Civic Club. She created the Kūpuna Power event with Sen. Brickwood Galuteria in 2012 to educate elders about aging issues and to enrich their lives.
Renovate
Now officially called “Nā Kūpuna Makamae Senior Center,” the pump house was designed in 1900 by Oliver G. Traphagen (the architect for the main building of the Moana Surf Westin Resort & Spa). The pump station was part of a larger sanitation system engineered for Honolulu by Rudolph Hering from New York City. The tall stack exhausted a huge steam-driven pump housed here. Traphagen balanced the Romanesque exterior of this 1,500-square-foot fortress with large arched windows and a green tile roof that survived well in our climate. This government facility ceased operations in 1949, when all pumping was taken over by the Ala Moana station. In 1978, the old pump station was registered as a historic building; the current construction will not change any of the building’s exterior design features.
One might say that the pump station has been waiting for Nā Kūpuna Makama — The Beloved Seniors. It is a place all seniors recognize and can find their way to on TheBus. Because it is a historic building, it will always be an oasis of open sky and green lawn in Kaka‘ako — a legacy of the past. Later this year, Pacific Gateway Center will open its doors as a community haven for activities that initiate fun: hula, music lessons and performance, yoga, tai chi and movie matinée day, to name a few. Marlene and Marketing Coordinator Valery O’Brien are creating meaningful cultural and educational events that will tell the stories of Hawai‘i, and all her people groups and programs that support and grow our community values.
Follow Your Star
People in Kamehameha Schools at the same time as Marlene said that her music career came up fast. She is from the musical ‘Ikuwā family. In her early teens, her uncle, Andy Cummings, a Hawaiian musician and composer, taught Marlene some of his songs. One was “Kainoa,” a melody he was scoring for his dear friend, Jimmy Lono Tako, a slack key artist on Hawai‘i Island. Her perfect pronunciation of Hawaiian came from her parents and grandparents. If singing with “Uncle” conjurs visions of fancy music studios with monitors, headsets and hanging mics, Marlene will be quick to describe sitting on the front porch after school, with Uncle Andy teaching her his songs, maybe an hour or two every day. He never told her why he was mentoring her; it was just fun — and Marlene loved to sing.
“Our family always had gatherings at our home in Kaimukī, where we would come together to enjoy music — playing instruments, singing and dancing. While I attended Kamehameha Schools, the music influence and structuring with a variety of music was plentiful.”
The key to Marlene is practical grounding. When she graduated from Kamehameha, she got a job working in travel during the summer — earning a living was her priority. “I was on the bottom rung at the agency and pulled Saturday and Sunday shifts. It was OK because I was single. In fact, there were several of us who worked in town on the weekends. Pau hana, we would meet at Joe’s at Waikīkī, near the old Biltmore Hotel, for a snack. We were all just starting out.”
Don Ho at Honeyʻs.
Marlene was a good paddler and knew many of the Waikīkī beach boys. One day, a surfer asked if she and her girlfriends would like to take a ride out to a Kāne‘ohe to a place with good music — Honey’s, a restaurant-bar. “My friend plays good music and manages the place for his mom,” he said. So the next Sunday, they drove over the pali, playing ‘ukulele, singing and laughing the whole way. The 27-year-old entertainer was a fellow named Don Ho. “He was terrific! During the introductions, one of the fellows told Don he should call me up to do a number because ‘this wahine can sing.’ In his kolohe way, Ho said, ‘Yeh — she can sing.’” He did call her to the stage. Marlene sang “Kainoa,” the song her uncle taught her. Ho immediately offered Marlene a part-time job singing at Honey’s — never guessing that she was only 17. She gave him her family’s phone number.
Marlene said Ho never called her, but a few weeks later, he flagged her over as she drove down Kalākaua Avenue. “I lost the number and been looking for you,” he called from his Thunderbird convertible. He asked her to Honey’s the next night — which turned into the start of her recording career. She remembers casually rehearsing with the band — Sonny Chillingworth, Gary ‘Aiko, Tony Bee and Mike Garcia. She did not know that dignitaries of Hawai‘i ’s entertainment industry were in the audience — Bill Murata, George Chun, Herb Ono and Jack deMello — to hear Chillingworth play.
Above is a rare shot of Marlene recording “Kainoa” in 1960. Above is Don Ho in the early days. Her family and Ho opened Marlene to Hawaiian songs and Kamehameha Schools taught her an appreciation for all kinds of music.
“After I started at Honey’s, my career took off and I decided not to go on to the University of Hawai‘i. When my “Kainoa” album took off, comedian Lucky Luck, disc jockey J. Akuhead Pupule and Jimmy Walker asked me to be on their radio and TV shows… soon I was playing at Duke Kahanamoku’s Supper Club in Waikīkī.”
Put Your Talent to Work
The hit album “Kainoa” wasn’t recorded track by track in a studio. “Sounds of Hawai‘i label was just building a new studio, so we recorded in the Honolulu Rapid Transit bus barn on King Street, where the police department is now. The acoustics were good late at night, when all the traffic died down and the planes stopped flying overhead,” she said. A live performance “air mix” is a desirable sound, but exceedingly difficult to achieve — the whole number must be performed perfectly. Amid all the parked buses, with the help of some of Hawai‘i’s finest musicians — Chillingworth on straight guitar and slack key, Ho on the organ and Alex Among on vibes — Marlene was able to pull it off.
Always the quintessential professional, Marlene said, “It‘s a great story, but I still want to digitize the “Kainoa” project to improve the sound.”
“Kainoa” and “Waikīkī” became her signature songs, later joined by “I Love You,” composed for her by her friend, Teddy Randazzo, an international recording star. In addition to cutting more than 20 albums, she entranced audiences at the biggest Waikīkī hotels — Hilton Hawaiian Village, The Royal Hawaiian Monarch Room, Moana Surf Rider — and supper clubs, such as Don the Beach Comber and Duke Kahanamoku’s.
Marlene said she still misses Ho. They often reminisced about their little-kid days — when everything was fun and exciting. She affectionately called him “Quack,” (relating to Donald Duck) and Marlene’s nickname was “Goofy” because she sometimes likes to joke and act crazy. “We were young and the industry was so big. I had no plan; I was young and fearless and wanted to explore as far as I could go. I was a baby performer working among greats like Genoa Keawe, Haunani Kahalewai, Alfred Apaka, Maddie Lam, Vicky I‘i Rodrigues and Johnny Almeida, to name a few. I was so blessed.”
Marlene Sai has a big following in Japan. Since 1962, she has been performing for Japanese audiences. Here she performs in 2010 with Japanese musicians who specialize in Hawaiian music.
In contrast to the glamor and glitz of stardom, Marlene was wise and eager to learn the gritty entertainment business. She learned as she went, always tackling projects and getting them done. “Donald helped me negotiate a contract at Duke Kahanamoku’s Supper Club with Kimo McVay. After I had recorded with Sounds of Hawaii, I started Makaha Records with friends George Chun and Tom Moffatt. Later on, I got involved with Hawai‘i Academy of Recording Arts as an active board member — I’ve been president three times, treasurer, chair of Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards a few times — and eventually we took it to the Hawai‘i Convention Center.”
“Respect your gift,” Marlene tells the young entertainers. “The fun comes, but first, you have to treat your business seriously.”
A sober reality of a singing career is meeting your audience where they are. In 1962, Marlene took her first road trip to Japan, where she is still a star. Every spring, she travels west to perform for her fans, backed up by Japanese musicians and hula dancers who specialize in popular Hawaiian music.
Some Recognition and awards
• 1986 The Hawai’i Academy of Recording Arts (HARA) Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award for “Best Female Vocalist” • 1987 Hawai‘i State Theatre Council Po‘okela Award for her portrayal of Queen Lili‘uokalani in “Hear Me, O My People” • 1999 Kamehameha Schools Alumni Gallery Award • 2004, HARA Nā Hōkū Hanohano Lifetime Achievement Award in music and recording, 2007 Hawaiian Music Foundation Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame Inductee • Her first LP release, “Kainoa,” was voted “The 50 Greatest Hawai‘i Albums”
Use Your Talent in New Ways
Besides a buttery contralto voice, Marlene has the heart of an actor — an ability to express deep emotions. After her fabulous singing and recording success in the ’60s, acting became one of her most rewarding endeavors. In music, she always asked her composers what inspired their songs and then interpreted that emotion. Her nightly showroom productions always engaged a meaningful storyline. As an actress, she studies her character carefully and “lives” the emotions as they would.
In 1986, she appeared with Tom Selleck as Wahine Luka on “Magnum PI,” and in the next year at Castle Theater, she starred in the Don Berrigan production of “Hear Me O My People,” a one-character play about Queen Lili‘uokalani. So compelling was her portrayal of the queen that Marlene was invited to perform before members of Congress at Folger Shakespeare Theatre in Washington, D.C.
PBS documentary “Betrayal”
“I was fascinated by the history of the overthrow. In late 1990 or early 1991, Ellen Pelissero, Ted Jung, Edwin Ebisui and I partnered to form Kukui Foundation, a 501(c)(3). Ellen, a professional writer, began researching the historical documents and wrote the original script for a feature documentary. She and I were co-executive producers. Tremaine Tamyose did some script rewrites. He and Joy Chong were co-directors for the production. Shooting was at KHET Manoa Studios. I portrayed Queen Lili‘uokalani. The PBS-Hawaii docudrama “Betrayal” premiered in Hawai‘i on Jan. 17, 1993, on the 100th anniversary of the overthrow of the monarchy.”
Marlene‘s interpretation of the warm-hearted monarch with ali‘i dignity and the humility of a servant of Ke Akua won her a PBS award. According to Television Histories: Shaping Collective Memory in the Media Age, “Betrayal” brought the historical record to the attention of the general public and forever changed popular opinion about Hawaiian sovereignty. Marlene was forever changed, too. “I learned so much I never knew about our Hawaiian history and Lili‘uokalani; for the Kukui Foundation team, the experience was a humbling honor.”
Marlene had fun bringing Bloody Mary, the sassy, comical and oh-so-lovable matchmaker, to life in “South Pacific.”
Readers will also remember the 2007 Hawaii Opera Theatre production of “South Pacific,” in which Marlene played the heady Bloody Mary, counseling young lovers to talk “Happy Talk.” She surprised audiences by bringing her keen sense of comedy to the stage, a trait familiar only to family and close friends. The following year, she was back onstage at the Hale Koa Hotel with a review called “This is Hawai‘i.”
Share What You Love
When asked by Leslie Wilcox on KHET’s “Long Story Short” how she views her legacy, Marlene joked, “Legacy? Well, it looks like I’ve been around a long time.” Joking is her way of deflecting praise, but no one can look at her life and fail to recognize the lasting contributions she has made to her extended community. At age 74, she still loves adventure. Whether discovering the business of entertainment and recording, reinventing herself as an actress, developing the alumni department at her alma mater or building a senior center — Marlene has always honored the gifts she was given by using them and exploring ways to put them to good use.
Marlene raised her family with the same discipline that her parents exercised — focusing on the importance of being grounded, earning a living, being fearless and learning all you can. Marlene lives by this rule, researching everything she does and considering all her commitments before she signs a contract. Finding a project worthy of her effort, she forges ahead fearlessly. It is a foundational lesson for her grandchildren. “When my granddaughter was very young, I told her not to be afraid when she performs her hula. Just get up there and share what you love. Speak to the audience through your kuhi and your body.”
Marlene succeeded in raising her family and creating a legacy by building on what she knows, and inventing a future based on her strengths. In a musical family, her talent wasn’t that unusual. When she took it outside, she soon realized she was different. She never gave up her office work, but developed it to the highest level. Today, she is a seasoned administrator in charge of multimillion-dollar project budgets. Her children grew up in the music industry and Marlene recalls her daughter once asking, “Mom, we’re not like other people, are we?” For a seven-year-old, the answer “We are different” might have been dis-appointing, but her mother knew that training in independence and embracing “different” frees the spirit to be creative.
A Walk Down Memory Lane From Marlene Sai’s simple sing-along with her uncle, Andy Cummings, and first vocalist job at Honey’s, came exciting gigs at the old Biltmore Hotel and hit LPs. Later, she began acting but continued to sing, record and serve in trade and community organizations. She still misses Don Ho, cherishes her many friends and associates, and mentors young talented performers.
Invent Your Future
In 2014, Pacific Gateway Center broke ground on the renovation of Nā Kūpuna Makamae Center, at the corner of Keawe Street and Ala Moana Boulevard. The senior center that serves the Kaka‘ako area, will provide innovative services and programs to empower, educate, enlighten and entertain our cherished seniors and their families.
Building a legacy is inventing your future. Marlene loves what she does, and when she finds a project that speaks to her, she commits her time and energy with gusto. And so it is with Nā Kāpuna Makamae. On prime real estate, in an area where elders are underserved, Marlene is helping this nonprofit renovate a historic blue rock building that would cost a fortune to design and build out today. The sewage pump house will be reinvented into an education and creative center where the people of Kaka‘ako can congregate, learn and be inspired to shape their own futures, and follow new dreams.
And even though she loves her challenging “day job” as project and program coordinator, this year, Marlene will also be following the muse she adores — acting in a new Brian Kohne film project called “Kuleana.” This high-concept, feature-length historical drama takes place on Maui in 1971. The film explores a consciousness that preceded the Hawaiian cultural renaissance of the mid-seventies.
Let’s all take a lesson from Marlene Sai and put some thought and energy into inventing the future of our dreams.
Mahalo Nui Loa e Marlene! We love you too!
“It is by looking into the window of your heart that you will find the details of your life.” — Marlene Sai
Aloha iā ‘oe: A Marlene Sai Legacy by Katherine Kama‘ema‘e Smith, Cover & Feature Story Photography by Brian Suda from the June-July 2016 issue of Generations Magazine, Hawai‘iʻs Resource For Life
The more we learn, the smarter our ancestors seem to be. If you are Filipino, your family probably uses annatto or achuete to cook traditional foods. The seed is used throughout Latin America, the Caribbean and places around the world where the Spaniards sailed, such as the Philippines and the Marianas Islands. Today, annatto food coloring is used worldwide.
Bright red annatto seeds have a very hard core, so they must either be soaked in water, or warmed in oil or lard to extract the color. Then the hard seeds are carefully sieved out. The orange-colored oil is used to prepare arroz con pollo, red pork adobo and many other dishes. In ancient times, red-orange annatto dye was used in spiritual rites and handicrafts, as well.
Scientists now know that annatto seed oil also contains tocotrienols — active molecules of the vitamin E family. The benefits of vitamin E have been investigated extensively, but recent research has focused on tocotrienol because it can lower cholesterol and act as an antioxidant. Although rice and palm also yield tocotrienols (mixed with less active forms of vitamin E), annatto seed yields nearly pure tocotrienol that is rich in the kind of molecules that appear to carry the most health benefits.
Our ancient ancestors added vitamins to their diets as a part of their traditions; science is proving just how smart our ancestors were!
Imagine you’ve just heard the words “you have cancer.” Then you were told your best option for treatment is far from home. This is the reality for many in Hawai‘i. Each year, hundreds of cancer patients travel from the Neighbor Islands and Guam to receive treatment at Honolulu hospitals and clinics. Patients can spend days, weeks and even months away from home. The emotional and financial toll of lost income, medical bills, hotel rooms, rental cars and dining out can be staggering. But hope is on the horizon.
An architectural drawing of The Clarence T.C. Ching Hope Lodge for cancer patients and their caregivers.
Construction is underway on the American Cancer Society home away from home for cancer patients — the Clarence T.C. Ching Hope Lodge. This three-story building located at 251 Vineyard St. in the Capitol District of Honolulu will provide cancer patients with peace of mind for decades.
Hope Lodge will offer free, temporary lodging for adult patients and their caregivers. The facility will include 20 private guest suites, a library, shared living room, kitchen and dining areas, a laundry room and an activity room. Hope Lodge not only will have the comforts of home, but also will serve as a unique gathering space where patients and caregivers may support each other emotionally, and learn from one another. A free shuttle will take patients to and from the city’s top healthcare facilities.
Once Hope Lodge opens around Thanksgiving, it will offer about 7,300 nights of free lodging to an estimated 487 patients annually, saving families approximately $1.3 million in hotel expenses.
Local organizations, foundations and companies have provided legacy gifts to “build hope a home” and sustain lodge operations. Five years ago, the American Cancer Society (ACS) announced a capital campaign to raise $11.9 million. The lead contributor, The Clarence T.C. Ching Foundation, provided a $3.5 million grant; The Queen’s Medical Center generously donated the land so the facility could be located near leading cancer treatment centers. To date, the Hope Lodge campaign has raised $11.1 million. ACS invites the community to help finish this vital project.
AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY, INC. 2370 Nu‘uanu Ave., Honolulu, HI 96817 800-227-2345 | www.tinyurl.com/ACS-Hawaii For gifts, donations and Hope Lodge information, contact: Cathy Alsup, CFRE, Director, Major Gift Campaigns 808-432-9136 | 808-595-7500 | www.hopelodgehawaii.org
American Cancer Society Builds Hope by Cathy Alsup, CFRE, American Cancer Society Hawai‘i Pacific from the June-May 2016 issue of Generations Magazine, Hawai‘i’s Resource for Life
The Tunnel Vision game requires visual stability… and of course, laughter.
March seems to be the perfect time for the Annual Senior Classic Games, which was created by Herbert Yasuhara in 1989 when he was the supervisor of the Hālawa Complex. Yasuhara started the games to get the senior citizens in the club active and moving, as an addition to sedentary activities such as cards or cribbage. The games were adopted by the De-partment of Parks and Recreation to include all those enrolled in the senior clubs islandwide.
In the past few years that Generations Magazine sponsored the 72 medals, the park was a great backdrop for a beautiful day of competition. The games were played in the gym and on the grounds outside, with names like Tunnel Vision, Nine Gates, Pin Ball and Peg Ball. The two age categories are 55 to 74, and 75 and over. The 91 teams of three members each from most O‘ahu senior clubs also brought cheerleaders who encouraged the athletes with enthusiasm — and even pompoms.
There’s always a happy ending with recognitions and a group photo with Herbert Yasuhara.
Everyone had so much fun competing in the games. I heard that there were new members of the Kailua Senior Club who were very excited that they won medals. Some teams even had fun gathering for practices before this annual event.
To join a senior club, prospective members need to be 55 years of age or older and registered at a Parks and Recreation facility that has a senior club. There are over 35 senior clubs islandwide
For more information on senior citizen programs, feel free to call Randy Yasuhara, City and County of Honolulu’s Recreation Support Services of the Senior Citizen Section, at 808-768-3045 or check out www.honolulu.gov/parks/dprseniorcitizens.htm.
Great Competition Among Seniors by Sherry Goya, Generations Magazine Staff from the June-July 2016 issue of Generations Magazine, Hawai‘i’s Resource For Life
I recently finished reading the John Grisham novel Sycamore Row. Filled with intrigue, suspense and surprises around every corner, it deserves its No. 1 New York Times Bestseller status as a fiction novel.
As the story opens, Seth Hubbard hangs himself from a Sycamore tree. Before he does, he composes a handwritten will and sends it to Attorney Jake Brigance, instructing him to make sure that it’s enforced. In the document, Seth leaves 90 percent of his estate to his housekeeper and disinherits his children.
Because all Seth’s children and grandchildren hire lawyers who all try to discredit the will, Jake finds himself embroiled in a big, controversial trial. Over the next 600-or-so pages, Jake tries to find out why Seth disinherited his children and gives almost everything to the housekeeper.
Greed and family conflict make great fiction, but sadly, many families find themselves in similar real-life battles.
Author Simon Sinek wrote a book entitled Start with Why. If Seth had written his “reasons why,” Sycamore Row would be about 10 pages long — and very boring.
We must, as estate planners, do a better job of encouraging clients to pass on assets with clear intention. Our goal is to help clients clearly define their wishes in anticipation of a time when they may no longer be able speak for themselves.
Then, we can leave the mystery, intrigue, conflict and suspense to Grisham, and then focus on families and honoring real-life intentions.
Sometimes when I glance at myself in the mirror, I can’t believe my eyes. Is that really me? I’ve just made 60 and it shows, but the mental picture I have of myself remains decades younger. One of the challenges of aging, it seems, is to let go of our vanity, which can be surprised by thinning hair or a slower gait. In a culture obsessed with youth, we are no longer young.
Making peace with our physical appearance and declining abilities is all part of aging with grace. With that journey of acceptance comes a compensating opportunity — with age, we focus less on outward appearances and tend more to who we are on the inside.
Those of us who are privileged to live a mature life know that there is a time to stop trying to turn heads or to climb to the top. We know life is more about how well we know ourselves than it is about how many people know us. This is a spiritual turning. Life moves us to consider the meaning of our mortality.
How will you seek spiritual maturity — to know serenity, to express gratitude, to laugh, to notice beauty and mercy, to insist on justice, to persist, to lay the past to rest, to find forgiveness? I hope I’m writing those into my spiritual autobiography. What about you?
The church where I am pastor, Windward United Church of Christ in Kailua, has started Aging with Grace, a new program initiative. It offers comfortable entry points for seniors and their families who want to learn about community aging resources or participate in leisure activities and volunteer groups. Aging with Grace programs explore the spiritual terrain of aging, asking questions and celebrating the challenges and blessings that face nā kūpuna.
We lift up a simple prayer for spiritual maturity: “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12).
I am going to print that out and place it on my mirror at home. I long to see the reflection of this wise woman’s heart.
“Show me a university that is financially secure and I’ll show you its athletic foundation; show me a championship team and I’ll show you a student body academically driven by the same zeal of excellence.” — Gov. John A. Burns
With wisdom and vision, Gov. Burns took $8,000 from his own pocket and created ‘Ahahui Koa Ānuenue (AKA) in 1967, providing the community with a way to contribute financial support to field competitive and successful teams at the University of Hawai‘i. Today, AKA is an efficient nonprofit that raises $6 million annually. Despite its success, UH requires more community financial support than ever.
Recent NCAA rule changes allow universities to provide 24-hour buffets to all athletes, not just those with scholarships, providing the schools with a huge recruiting advantage.
UH seized this opportunity and developed its Supplemental Meal Program, which provides that all student-athletes get one full meal a day.
Coaches love this program, which literally feeds the minds, bodies and souls of UH athletes.
Visit www.koaanuenue.org and click the “Apples for Athletes” campaign button.
Feeding College Athletes : Body, Mind, Soul by Jon Kobayashi, President, ‘Ahahui Koa Ānuenue from the June-May 2016 issue of Generations Magazine, Hawai‘i’s Resource for Life
Seniors stretching and exercising at Kokua Kalihi Valley.
What image comes to mind when you think of an Elderly community center? An AARP sponsored YouTube is making the rounds “Millennials Show Us What ‘Old’ Looks Like.” Have you seen it? The video reveals an interesting perspective of what the 20-somethings think. Millennials are asked what age they consider to be “old” and to demonstrate what “old” looks like. The 20–28 year olds “act out” their images of the “old,” laughing and giggling as they imitate slow, uncoordinated individuals.
Next, the host gives them a chance to meet and interact with older people (who were secretly watching how these young adults portrayed them). The Millennials quickly discover the “old,” are physically strong, active, vibrant — living rich, satisfying lives. The shock and surprise on their faces at how some older people truly function is absolutely priceless!
As a frequent volunteer at the Kokua Kalihi Valley Elderly Center in Honolulu, I regularly witness how vibrant and active the participants are; all are 60 or older. During a recent visit, after some light, chair aerobics, about 75 participants used 5-pound dumbbells to do a couple of sets of overhead, triceps extensions. Believe me, it wasn’t easy! More evidence that active seniors are busy reshaping the image of older people. Like that old Bob Dylan song, the new “old” may become “Forever Young.”
KOKUA KALIHI VALLEY Comprehensive Family Services , 2239 North School St.,Honolulu, HI 96819 808-791-9400 | www.kkv.net/index.php/elder-care
Forever Young! by Martha Khlopin for the June-July 2016 issue of Generations Magazine, Hawai‘i’s Resource For Life
I grew up with a father who had colon cancer, so I have always been interested in reasons why some people survive cancer beyond all odds. There are patients with stage IV prostate cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer and pancreatic cancer who have survived and live much longer than expected. Some live out their full lives, apparently beating cancer, as my father did.
So what is it that makes the difference between those who survive stage IV cancer and those who don’t? No one knows for sure, but I can share with you what seem to be common factors in these cases. Probably the most important one is that they all made major diet and lifestyle changes. There are several reasons these choices make a difference in the course of the disease.
Insulin Control
In my last column, I described why it is important to limit processed carbohydrates and proteins to control insulin, and to limit dairy and meat because of insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1). Limiting insulin and IGF-1 can help slow tumor growth and is associated with a reduced risk of various cancers.
Inflammation Control
Another important factor in controlling cancer is controlling inflammation and pain. Diet can have a profound effect on the control of inflammation. As I explain in Chapter VI of the Peace Diet, eating can affect your blood, causing it to act as if you were taking aspirin or ibuprofen — without actually having to take the medication.
This is important because inflammation has a lot to do with the growth of tumors and cancers. Inflammation is most commonly associated with pain and swelling of tissues, as it is in injuries — a bruise or cut — or in chronic conditions, such as arthritis and autoimmune disease.
The inflammatory process induces the production of biochemicals in the blood, such as Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha (TNF a) and Nuclear Factor kappa beta (TNF kB), that aid in the repair process, but which also induce tumor growth. Inflammation causes vascular endothelial growth factor to create new vessels to bring blood in and out of the area to accelerate healing, but it also can create vessels that feed a growing cancer.
To help control inflammation, limit the intake of omega 6 fat, especially arachidonic acid, which is the main precursor to micro-hormones — prostaglandins — that cause inflammation.
Consuming less chicken, egg yolks, beef and sausage may be one of the reasons why people in countries where these foods are not heavily consumed have the lowest rates of cancer.
For a more complete list of these foods, read the Peace Diet (www.peacediet.org).
WELLNESS CENTER Complimentary & Alternative Medicine
600 Queen St., Ste. C2, Honolulu HI 96813 808-628-8784 | www.drshintani.com
Beating Cancer by Terry Shintani, MD, JD, MPH from the June-May 2016 issue of Generations Magazine, Hawai‘i’s Resource for Life
The very lifeblood of your favorite charity is the annual donations that come from regular donors. When a regular donor passes away or stops giving, it may be difficult for the charity to replace the needed income stream. One way to avoid this is for faithful donors to create lifetime endowments or to leave endowments in their estate plans. It doesn’t take an unusually large gift to make a difference.
If you annually contribute $100, then putting $2,000 in an endowment is enough for that level of annual giving to continue in perpetuity. This ratio holds up no matter how much you give each year. An endowment of 20 times an annual gift should allow for the same contribution to continue each year for long after you pass away or stop giving.
Contact your favorite charity for ideas about how to multiply the benefits of your gift — both for you at tax time and for the charity. If the charity is not geared up to manage endowments, you can create an endowment quickly and easily, with very few administration fees. Organizations like the Hawai‘i Community Foundation (which has offices in Honolulu, Waimea, Hilo, Li¯hue and Kahului, and can be found online at www.hawaiicommunityfoundation.org) or the Hawai‘i chapter of the National Christian Foundation (808-524-5678) will assist you.
Creating an endowment fund through an established charitable foundation can also enable you to make gifts to multiple charities. When you create your endowment fund, your gift is immediately tax-deductible (within limits prescribed by the Internal Revenue Code) because the foundation is itself a tax-exempt entity. You can then direct the foundation to send checks to all or any of the charities you support. You can tell the foundation to let the charities know that the gifts came from you or to issue your gifts anonymously.
Moreover, your endowment gift does not have to be cash. If you have stock or real estate that you are considering selling in order to make charitable gifts, you can put those assets directly into your endowment fund and let the foundation sell them. If you sell the assets yourself before you make your gift, you may have to report capital gains and pay taxes on those gains. Your net gift will be the amount of your sales proceeds minus sales costs and taxes.
On the other hand, if you give the assets to the foundation, the foundation can sell them and put the net proceeds into your endowment fund (with no taxes on capital gains), and your potential deduction will be the full fair market value of the gifted assets. If you give more than the law allows you to deduct in any one year, you can “carry forward” your gift and deduct a portion of it over each of the next five years or until you have fully deducted your gift, whichever comes first.
SCOTT MAKUAKANE, Counselor at Law Focusing exclusively on estate planning and trust law. Watch Scott’s TV show, Malama Kupuna Sundays at 8:30pm on KWHE, Oceanic Channel 11 www.est8planning.com | O‘ahu: 808-587-8227 | maku@est8planning.com
Endowment Gift Keeps on Giving by Scott A. Makuakane, Counselor at Law, Est8Planning Counsel LLLC from the June-May 2016 issue of Generations Magazine, Hawai‘i’s Resource for Life
Boost your brain by joining the Hawai‘i State Public Library System’s 2016 Adult Summer Reading Program from June 5 to July 16. Build your brainpower and commit to deep reading 20 minutes daily. Studies have shown that reading reduces stress, makes you a better speaker and keeps your thinking sharp.
Sometimes when I glance at myself in the mirror, I can’t believe my eyes. Is that really me? I’ve just made 60 and it shows, but the mental picture I have of myself remains decades younger. One of the challenges of aging, it seems, is to let go of our vanity, which can be surprised by thinning hair or a slower gait. In a culture
obsessed with youth, we are no longer young.
“Show me a university that is financially secure and I’ll show you its athletic foundation; show me a championship team and I’ll show you a student body academically driven by the same zeal of excellence.” — Gov. John A. Burns
