Times News Online

AP Photo/Charles Dharapak Alexis McKenzie, right, executive director of The Methodist Home of the District of Columbia Forest Side, an Alzheimer's assisted-living facility, shares a light moment with resident Catherine Peake recently. Dementia can sneak up on families because its sufferers are pretty adept at covering lapses early on, longer if their spouses are there to compensate. Specialists are pushing for the first National Alzheimer's Plan to help overcome this barrier to detection.

A push for family input to detect dementia earlier

WASHINGTON (AP) Alexis McKenzie's mother had mild dementia, but things sounded OK when she phoned home: Dad was with her, finishing his wife's sentences as they talked about puttering through the day and a drive to the store.

Then their phone service was cut off. "I mailed that check," McKenzie's father insisted. No, he'd mailed the phone company a bank deposit slip instead. McKenzie visited and discovered spoiling food. Dad the caregiver was in trouble, too.

Features

Girl Scouts host 'Souper' Bowl weekend

Palmerton area Girl Scouts celebrated Super Bowl weekend with a 'Souper Bowl' of their own, collecting nonperishable food items for local families in need at Country Harvest in Palmerton. Scouts ranging from Daisies to Seniors took turns throughout the weekend gathering food for the Christian Action Council of Palmerton Area Churches (CACPAC), which operates a food pantry at St. John's Towamensing Lutheran Church in Palmerton every third Friday of the month.

Announcements

Rodgers-Kunkle

The engagement of Kimberly Rodgers, Lehighton, to Trevor Kunkle, also of Lehighton, has been announced by her parents. The bride-to-be is the daughter of Rhonda and Jack Weaver of Minersville. She is a 1995 graduate of Minersville High School. She is currently studying psychology at Axia University. She is employed by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. The prospective bridegroom is the grandson of Perma and Donald Bloom of Lehighton. He is a 1990 graduate of Lehighton Area High School, and is a veteran of the U.S. Navy.

Columns

What you need to know if you need a hearing aid

(This is the second of two columns on hearing aids.)

About one in three Americans over 60 suffers from loss of hearing, which can range from the inability to hear certain voices to deafness. However, only about one out of five people who would benefit from a hearing aid uses one.

Hearing aids have a microphone, amplifier, and speaker. Sound is received by the microphone, which converts the sound waves to electrical signals and sends them to an amplifier. The amplifier boosts the signals and then sends them to the ear through a speaker.

Dealing with a hearing loss

Q. I think I need a hearing aid. Any recommendations?

(I've received this question from more than a few readers. It's a subject of great interest to seniors, so I'm going to write two columns on hearing aids.)

About one in three Americans over 60 suffers from loss of hearing, which can range from the inability to hear certain voices to deafness. However, only about one out of five people who would benefit from a hearing aid uses one.

Steroids and age

Q. I've been reading about athletes using steroids to build themselves up. Do these drugs work for older men?

First some background on steroids. There are two types of steroids: corticosteroids and anabolic steroids. Corticosteroids, such as cortisone and prednisone, are drugs that help control inflammation. Anabolic steroids, such as androstenedione or andro, are substances that can help the body make muscle.

The facts about incontinence, colon cancer and fair skin

Q. Are there different forms of urinary incontinence?

There are several types of urinary incontinence:

Ÿ If urine leaks when you sneeze, cough, laugh or put pressure on the bladder in other ways, you have stress incontinence.

Ÿ When you can't hold urine, you have urge incontinence.

Ÿ When small amounts of urine leak from a bladder that is always full, you have overflow incontinence.

Ÿ Many seniors who have normal bladder control but have difficulty getting to the bathroom in time, have functional incontinence.

Food

CORRECTIONs

In Thursday's TIMES NEWS, the recipe for Chicken Corn Chowder from Dawn McCabe, one of last year's recipe contest winners, was missing an important ingredient frozen corn!

Here is the complete recipe.

Chicken CornChowder

2 cups diced chicken

6-8 small potatoes

4-6 small carrots, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

2 tablespoons butter

48 ounces chicken broth

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can of water

1 can cream style corn

1 bag of frozen corn

Salt and pepper to taste

Crowd-friendly taco bar fit for game day

AP PhotoS/Matthew Mead Elizabeth Karmel's recipe for a walking taco served in a bowl. A make-your-own taco bar is dramatic, and is easy on the cook.

Whenever I think of Super Bowl Sunday, I think of chili and guacamole and chips. And Ro-Tel cheese dip. And Frito pie.

Because face it, people love to indulge in fatty, crunchy, salty foods they can munch while milling about or standing and watching the game in suspense. And if you make a dish that combines everyone's favorite football snacks, you've got a winning day regardless of who wins the game.

Stromboli part pizza, part calzone

This Jan. 4, 2012 photo shows Super Bowl stromboli in Concord, N.H. To serve, stromboli are simply sliced like a loaf of bread, creating a spiral baked sandwich that is perfect for large parties. (AP Photo/Matthew Mead)

A stromboli is kind of a cross between a grinder and a calzone. Bread dough is rolled out, filled with sliced meats, cheeses and vegetables, then rolled up into a tube and baked.

To serve, stromboli are simply sliced like a loaf of bread, creating a spiral baked sandwich that is perfect for large parties. If you like, you also can serve sandwich condiments (or even warmed marinara) alongside the stromboli slices for dipping.

We've offered suggestions for fillings; but mix and match to suit your group (or devise your own combination).

And for dessert? Beer cupcakes (with bacon!)

This Jan. 4, 2012 photo shows Super Bowl cupcakes in Concord, N.H. These cupcakes are big, bold, manly and totally down for a Super Bowl spread. (AP Photo/Matthew Mead)

These are not your girlfriend's cupcakes. There is no frilly pastel frosting piped on top. They are not delicate. They are not pretty.

They are big, bold, manly and totally down for a Super Bowl spread.

Since ease is key for Super Bowl feasts, we decided to start with a chocolate cake mix. To man-it-up, we made them big and added beer. Instead of pretty buttercream frosting, we dabbed and smeared whiskey frosting all over them. And to really take it up a notch, bacon. Salted peanuts, pretzels or crushed malted milk balls also would be terrific.