Beaufort Memorial Hospital Living Well- Spring 2015

Living WellLiving Well
PLUS how the show must go
on for actress Judi Dench
despite a serious eye condition
Class
Senior
ways to make the
later years your best32
HEART ATTACK
PATIENT DOESN’T
SKIP A BEAT
THE BENEFITS
OF SINGLE-SITE
HYSTERCTOMY
LESSONS
FOR A
LONG LIFE
SPRING 2015
Living WellLiving WellLiving WellLiving WellLiving WellLiving WellLiving WellLiving WellLiving WellLiving WellLiving WellLiving WellLiving WellLiving WellLiving WellLiving WellLiving WellLiving WellLiving WellLiving WellLiving WellLiving WellLiving WellLiving Well
BEAUFORTMEMORIAL.ORG
Get to know two of Beaufort Memorial’s newest physician partners—out of the white coat. See page 6.

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Contents
SPRING 2015
36
Gone Without
a Trace
Hysterectomy
scars are a thing of the past
thanks to single-site surgery.
FEATURES
9
Age Is Just a Number
Past your prime?
Maybe not. See some
amazing achievements by
older folks.
10
The Long View
Despite a serious
eye condition,
actress Judi Dench
is determined to
do what she loves
at age 80 and
beyond.
14
You: Part 2
Life is full of sur-
prises, and they
don’t stop when you’re on
the other side of 50.
22
Going Through
the Motions
Our joints endure
a lifetime of bending, twist-
ing and rotating. Here’s how
to keep them in top shape.
28
Your Last
Chapter:
Expressing
End-of-Life Wishes
It’s something that no one
wants to think about, but
everyone needs to.
33
Hale and Hearty
Heart attack
patient Deb
Hopewell was the picture of
health before her massive
heart attack at 57.
8Ask the Expert
Joint Eﬀort: Find out
what you can do to
prevent the pain of
arthritis.
Can too much
gaming cause
osteoarthritis?
PAGE 43
How to cook
Popeye’s favorite
veggie PAGE 54
Studies show
that people often
save the happiest
years for last.
PAGE 16
COVER PHOTO BY NEIL TINGLE-ALLSTAR-GLOBE PHOTOS INC.
THE BIG
STORY
Can too much
gaming cause
osteoarthritis?
PAGE 43
SPRING 2015 1
INEVERYISSUE
2 Opening Thoughts
3 Introductions
4 Collected Wisdom
6 Out of the White Coat
38 Foundation-Building
42 This Just In
44 The Truth About Allergies
46 Healthy Buys: Golden Gifts
50 Quiz: Freak Out or
Chill Out?
52 At a Glance: Smoke Alarm
54 In the Market: Spinach
56 Health by the Numbers:
Focus on Fertility

Opening ThOughTs
It’s a new year, and that
often means a commitment
to making changes that will
benefit you.
At your community hospital, you’ll
find the same commitment. I am excited
to fill you in on some new changes
we’ve committed to that could ben-
efit you and your family members and
friends in the Lowcountry.
A Face-lift for OB
It’s been nearly 20 years since The
Beaufort Memorial Birthing Center has
seen major changes to its interior, and
it’s time to bring new life into the unit
in the form of a $3 million renovation
to include new floors, furnishings and
amenities, a new entrance and waiting
area, and much more.
We are working on the timetable for
these improvements. For now, you can
learn more about them and how they
will benefit mothers-to-be and their
families, as well as see drawings of the
proposed plans, by visiting our website
at beaufortmemorial.org.
An ICU Expansion
What began last year as a major
renovation and expansion to our pre-
existing eight-bed Intensive Care Unit
(ICU) is nearing completion—a major
feat with big benefits to our patients
and staff.
Our soon-to-be-open 12-bed ICU will
not only provide more room to care
for our sickest patients, but it will also
feature equipment and technology to
A New YeAr of
ImprovedHealtHBMH continues to further its commitment to
providing excellent healthcare to the Lowcountry
Living Well, a subtitle of Vim & Vigor™, Spring 2015, Volume 31,
Number 1, is published quarterly by McMUrry/TMG, LLC, 1010 E.
Missouri Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85014, 602-395-5850. Vim & Vigor™ is
published for the purpose of disseminating health-related informa-
tion for the well-being of the general public and its subscribers.
The information contained in Vim & Vigor™ is not intended for the
purpose of diagnosing or prescribing. Please consult your physician
before undertaking any form of medical treatment and/or adopting
any exercise program or dietary guidelines. Vim & Vigor™ does not
accept advertising promoting the consumption of alcohol or tobacco.
Copyright © 2015 by McMUrry/TMG, LLC. All rights reserved.
Subscriptions in U.S.: $4 for one year (4 issues). Single copies: $2.95.
For subscriptions, write: Circulation Manager, Vim & Vigor™, 1010 E.
Missouri Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85014.
BEAUFOrt MEMOrIAl HOspItAl
prEsIdEnt & CEO
richard K. Toomey, DHA, FACHE
BMH BOArd OF trUstEEs
Terry Murray, Chair
Pat Thompson, MD, Vice Chair
David Tedder, Secretary/Treasurer
Andrea Allen, MS, LMSW
Kathleen Cooper
David House
William “Bill” Himmelsbach
Faith Polkey, MD
James Simmons, MD
Ex-OFFICIO MEMBErs
J. Chadwick Tober, MD, Chief of Staff
William “Bill” Harvey, Foundation Chairman
Bill McBride, Beaufort County Council representative
BMH EdItOrIAl
Courtney McDermott, Director, Marketing & Communications
Sallie Stone, Editor and Marketing & Communications Senior
Associate
Paul Nurnberg, Photographer
prOdUCtIOn
Editorial
EdItOr-In-CHIEF: Amy Saunders
EdItOrs: Erin Feeney, Meghan Krein, Matt Morgan,
Ellen Olson, Tom Weede
COpy EdItOr: C.J. Hutchinson
dEsign
CHIEF Art dIrECtOr: Tami rodgers
Art dIrECtOrs: rod Karmenzind, Kay Morrow
Production
sEnIOr prOdUCtIOn MAnAgEr: Laura Marlowe
spECIAl prOjECts & prICIng MAnAgEr: Jenny Babich
IMAgIng spECIAlIst: Dane Nordine
prOdUCtIOn tECHnOlOgy spECIAlIsts: Julie Chan,
Sonia Fitzgerald
circulation
sEnIOr dIrECtOr OF BUsInEss IntEllIgEnCE grOUp:
Tracey Lenz
pOstAl AFFAIrs & lOgIstICs dIrECtOr: Joseph Abeyta
ClIEnt sErvICEs
CHIEF ClIEnt OFFICEr: Beth Tomkiw
ClIEnt strAtEgy And sErvICEs MAnAgErs: Annika
Honkanen, Lauren Keeton, Gerry Kubek, Barbara Mohr
AdMInIstrAtIOn
CHIEF ExECUtIvE OFFICEr: Matthew J. Petersen
svp, BUsInEss dEvElOpMEnt – HEAltHCArE:
Gregg radzely, 212-574-4380
CrEAtIvE dIrECtOr: Marc Oxborrow
Vim & Vigor FOUndEr: J. Barry Johnson
CHAIrMAn EMErItUs: Preston V. McMurry, Jr.
Beaufort Memorial Hospital
955 ribaut road
Beaufort, SC 29902
843-522-5200
843-522-5585 – Doctor referral Service
If you wish to be removed from the mailing list, please visit
mcmurrytmg.com/circulation.
enhance their care, including a new
patient monitoring system.
A joint that’s Hoppin’
The Beaufort Memorial Joint
replacement Center (JrC) officially
opened 18 months ago with a private
wing on our fourth floor. Since then,
the dedicated physicians and staff of
the JrC have graduated more than
600 patients from the program, earned
a total joint center of distinction desig-
nation from Blue Cross Blue Shield and
put hundreds of satisfied patients back
on their feet and back to living well.
A portal to your Health
In November 2014 we launched the
MyBMH Patient Portal, offering patients
secure access to their personal health
information through the hospital’s first
online medical record.
This year that portal has expanded
to include medical information from
Beaufort Memorial physician practices
to provide you with a more comprehen-
sive view of your medical information.
Among the portal’s other new features is
the ability to request appointments and
prescriptions. you can read more about
MyBMH in this issue.
These are just a few of the many
changes taking place at your community
hospital, and we’re proud to be able to
offer them to you.
Here’s to a new year, and a new you! n
SPRING 20152

ManageYour
HealtHwitHMYBMH
New online program makes it easy to
keep up with your medical care
Want to take better control
of your health? Log in.
Beaufort Memorial Hospital’s
new online patient portal, MyBMH, pro-
vides private, secure access to your
personal health information anytime
from any computer. With just a click of
the mouse, you can view hospital lab
and imaging results, access discharge
instructions, request a prescription
renewal and even schedule an appoint-
ment with your doctor.
“The goal is to engage patients in
their own healthcare,” says Ed Ricks,
Beaufort Memorial’s chief informa-
tion officer. “With insurance deduct-
ibles and out-of-pocket costs going
up, there’s more incentive than ever
to become proactive.”
The program is free and open to any-
one who has been treated at Beaufort
Memorial or is seeing a BMH physician.
To register, you’ll need the personal
identification number (PIN) provided
to you at the hospital or your doctor’s
office. If you haven’t already received
a PIN, contact the MyBMH support
center at register@bmhsc.org or
call 843-522-7001.
Once you have your PIN, go to
mybmh.org and click “Register Now”
to log in and create your own username
and password. You’ll be prompted to
provide some basic information like your
name, date of birth and email address.
With MyBMH, you’ll be able to:
• View the last six months of clinical
data from your hospital medical record,
including medications, immunizations
and health issues.
• Access laboratory and imaging
test results after your physician reviews
them, usually within 72 hours.
• Pay hospital bills online.
• Send messages to and receive mes-
sages from physician practices.
• Access trusted health information
resources.
• Update allergies and other health-
related data, as well as demographic
information like your phone number
and address.
• Request a physician referral.
In the second phase of the pro-
gram, expected to launch this year,
a navigation tool will allow patients
with a chronic illness like diabetes
or congestive heart failure to enter
important health information related
to their condition, including blood
glucose levels and weight, allowing
hospital care managers to monitor
changes in their health and intervene
before they require hospitalization.
“If we can catch signs of distress
early,” Ricks says, “we can keep people
out of the ER.” n
IntroductIons
PHOTOBYTHINkSTOck
SPRING 2015 3

photosbythinkstock
ColleCted Wisdom
Plant Slant
Your mother was right to make you eat
your veggies. They’re one of the cor-
nerstones of a healthy diet. Add whole
grains and beans to the menu and you’re
on your way to becoming a centenarian.
At minimum, eat four vegetable serv-
ings every day. Rather than hiding them
in a refrigerator drawer, put them front
and center where you’re more likely to
grab them for a snack.
Nuts are another must-have in your
meal plan—but only a handful. One ounce
of nuts is about 200 calories.
While plant foods should fill your shop-
ping cart, that doesn’t mean you can’t
have meat on occasion. Just limit it to
twice a week and portions no larger than
a deck of cards.
Tricks of
The Tradein the pacific island of okinawa—home to some of the world’s
longest-lived people—residents follow a simple rule: they stop
eating when their stomachs are 80 percent full. Daily calorie
intake is only about 1,900 calories.
here are some tips to help you eat like an okinawan:
• Serve your meals on smaller dishes. you can clean
your plate and still keep to your recommended calorie limit.
• Out of sight, out of mouth. store goodies where you
won’t see them every time you open the cupboard. better yet,
don’t buy all those high-calorie snacks. if they’re not available,
you can’t eat them.
• Slow down and savor your food. it gives your stomach
time to tell your brain you’re no longer hungry.
• Weigh in daily. it will help you stay on course to drop
those extra pounds—and keep them off.
• Eat at the kitchen table and not in front of the tV.
Mindless eating can lead to unnecessary weight gain.
• Instead of chowing down a large hamburger, reduce
the size of the patty and pile on the lettuce, tomato, onions
and mushrooms.
ask the experts
Diet Dos
and Don’ts
Make an appointment with
one of LifeFit Wellness
Center’s registered dietitians.
She can provide advice on
what to eat to lead a healthy
life or achieve a specific
health-related goal. Call
843-522-5635 to schedule
a consultation.
SPRING 20154

photobythinkstock
UnplUg from the
electronics
We all know how damaging
stress can be to our physical
and mental health. But how
do you slow down when you’re
suffering from electronic
overload? Between television,
computers and smart phones,
it seems we’re always “on.”
A 2011 poll found 95 percent
of Americans use some form of
technology in the hour before
bed. Even if it’s for entertain-
ment, it can still be detrimental
to your health. The blue light
emitted from electronic devices
prevents the release of mela-
tonin, a hormone that helps
you sleep. Studies have shown
people who send a text, surf
the Web or email before bed
are more likely to experience
insomnia, which in turn can
increase stress.
Convinced? Then shut off
the gadgets and spend the last
hour of the day slowing down
your mind. Take a warm bath,
read a book or listen to sooth-
ing music to help ensure a full
night of ZZZs.
Get
MovinG!
Working out at the gym isn’t the
only way to get in the recom-
mended 30 minutes of exercise
a day. Rather than hopping on
a treadmill, walk to the store.
Ride your bike to work instead
of driving. the idea is to include
activity in your everyday life.
consider planting a garden.
the tasks required to tend to
vegetables—digging, weeding,
harvesting—offer a wide range
of low-intensity activity with a
full range of motion. Gardening
also can relieve stress and give
you a sense of satisfaction. And
you’re rewarded with all that
heart-healthy goodness.
if you do just one thing, walk.
it’s the common activity shared
by all cultures known for extreme
longevity. Walking is easier on the
joints than running, it’s free and
it’s accessible no matter where
you live. the American heart
Association recommends taking
10,000 steps a day, the equiva-
lent of roughly five miles. those
steps will improve your cardio-
vascular health, strengthen your
muscles, decrease your chances
of developing disease and ward
off depression. so, tie up your
tennies and hit the road!
Make Yourself
useful
Even if you’re retired, you should have a reason to get up in
the morning. Having a sense of purpose can reduce stress,
prevent depression and make you feel good about yourself.
In a study funded by the National Institutes of Health,
researchers found that people between the ages of 65
and 92 who had a clear goal in life lived longer and were
sharper than those who did not. Your purpose can be as
simple as volunteering at a pet shelter, baby-sitting your
grandkids or tending to your garden.
Taking up a new activity or learning a new skill offers
a double benefit. It gives you a purpose and strengthens
your brain, helping decrease your rate of memory loss.
volunteer today
Help Out at the Hospital
Beaufort Memorial is always looking for volunteers
to help with any number of jobs, from greeting visi-
tors and patients to filing and copying. For more
information on current volunteering opportuni-
ties, call Volunteer Services Director Ray Brown
at 843-522-7928.
bythe
numbers
53,364
18
20.5
78
Number of
centenarians
in the U.S.
in 2010
Life
expectancy
of a child
born in 2012
Number of
years longer a
65-year-old
man can expect
to live
Number of
years longer
a 65-year-old
woman can
expect to live
yEARS
AND 9½
MoNThS
SPRING 2015 5

AMATCH
MADE
INMED
SCHOOL
BMH doctors have been
practicing—and playing—
together for 23 years
Eve Ashby, DO
It was in an ethics class in
med school that Eve Anne
Ashby, DO, fell in love with
her husband, Richard Stewart, DO.
“I was looking for Sylvester Stallone,”
Ashby admits. “He doesn’t look anything
like Sylvester Stallone.”
No matter. The two students hit it off.
They spent hours studying together, dis-
cussing ethical issues physicians face.
“Over the course of the semester, I
got to know him really well,” Ashby says.
“I realized he was a really good guy.”
OUT OF THE WHITE COAT
CALL
Eve Ashby, DO, is a board-
certified gynecologist
with Beaufort Memorial
Lowcountry Medical Group.
She can be reached at
843-770-0404.
The day they graduated from med
school, Stewart proposed to Ashby.
The OB-GYN and the gastroenterolo-
gist married in December 1991. They’ve
been practicing together ever since.
“In the office, he’s very serious,” Ashby
says, “but he’s so funny. He makes me
laugh all the time.”
Three years after tying the knot, the
couple had their first daughter, Grace.
Rosie followed three years later. In 2000,
when they moved to Beaufort, Ashby
decided to continue practicing gyne-
cology but give up obstetrics to spend
more time with the girls.
“I wanted to be home in the afternoon
when they got out of school,” she says.
“I miss the OB practice, but I don’t have
any regrets.”
Now that her daughters are nearly
grown and self-sufficient, Ashby has
more time to spend doing some of
the other things she loves—reading,
exercising and being with her husband.
And her professional life has never
been busier. In addition to her GYN
practice, she’s taken on teaching. Two
years ago she accepted the position
of regional director of medical educa-
tion for Arizona’s A.T. Still University
School of Osteopathic Medicine. Besides
teaching online courses at night, she
works with students rotating through
the school’s local clinic Wednesday
afternoons and Friday mornings.
“I really enjoy teaching,” Ashby says.
“The students challenge me. They make
me a better doctor.”
SPRING 20156

Richard Stewart, DO
Richard Stewart, DO, took
one for the team when
he agreed to run Disney’s
Princess Half Marathon with his wife
and two daughters.
“A lot of the runners wear tutus,”
Stewart says. “I wasn’t that brave.”
Tutus and tiaras aside, Stewart had
a great time running with his family
through the Magic Kingdom and Epcot—
even if he was one of just a few men
participating in the 13.1-mile race.
An avid runner in college and medi-
cal school, Stewart hung up his sneak-
ers when he moved from New Jersey
to Beaufort in 2000 to become the only
gastroenterologist in the multispecialty
Lowcountry Medical Group practice.
“Those first three years before I had
a partner, I was working extremely hard
and didn’t have time to exercise,” he
recalls. “I was 30 pounds heavier than
I am today.”
His wife, Eve Anne Ashby, DO, a gyne-
cologist in the same practice, also had
gained weight and was looking to get
back to a healthier lifestyle. They began
running together and were soon joined
by their two young daughters.
The foursome competed in a few
fun 5Ks, then graduated to 10Ks. The
Disney Princess race was one of two
half-marathons the family ran as a
group. Stewart went on to run his first
full marathon three years ago in celebra-
tion of his 50th birthday.
“It’s one of the best things I’ve ever
done,” he says. “I definitely want to do
it again.”
The Lady’s Island resident continues
to run several times a week, but these
days he runs solo. His wife prefers spin
classes and his daughter Rose, 17, exer-
cises on her own. Grace, his 20-year-old,
is studying at Clemson.
The family still enjoys traveling
together, attending concerts, tailgating at
Clemson football games and hanging out
on the beach at their Fripp Island home.
“Some holidays, we’ll make it out to
a fish camp I share with my buddies,” he
says. “It’s all about being together.” n
CALL
Richard Stewart, DO, is a
board-certified internist
and gastroenterologist
with Beaufort Memorial
Lowcountry Medical Group.
He can be reached at
843-770-0404.
SPRING 2015 7

Ask the expert
AgingwithArthritis
By the time we reach our 60s, most of us will be feeling the joint
pain and stiffness that come with arthritis, says orthopedic
surgeon Edward Blocker, MD. But there’s plenty we can do to
alleviate the symptoms and go on living well.
Q
Is arthritis part of the
natural aging process?
The odds of developing arthritis
in your lifetime are virtually 100 per-
cent. Like the rubber in your car tires,
the shiny white cartilage cushioning
your joints wears down over time,
causing pain, stiffness and swell-
ing. However, this is not to say that
everyone will have major symptoms
from arthritis.
You may start feeling symptoms in
your 40s, but they probably won’t slow
you down. About the time most people
reach their mid-60s, the pain may be
bad enough to seek medical attention.
Q
What is the most common
form of arthritis in older
adults?
Osteoarthritis, sometimes called wear-
and-tear arthritis, is the most common
form, and one of the most frequent
causes of physical impairment among
older people. The arthritic joint I see
most often in my practice is the knee,
then hips, fingers and shoulders.
Q
Is there anything I can do to
prevent osteoarthritis or its
progression?
Motion is good for the joints, but limit
it to low-impact exercises, like walking,
riding a bicycle and swimming. Doubles
tennis, pickleball and golf are good,
too. Avoid running or contact sports
that can injure the cartilage. If you like
working out at the gym, include training
machines that strengthen the muscles
around the joint.
Maintain a healthy weight to reduce
any extra forces on your joints. It’s bet-
ter to eat a sensible diet that includes
calcium and vitamin D than to take sup-
plements. Dairy products are absorbed
better by your body than calcium pills.
Q
What treatments are avail-
able for osteoarthritis?
Inflammation of the joint causes
the symptoms of arthritis, so we usu-
ally suggest patients start out trying
over-the-counter anti-inflammatory
pain relievers like Advil, Aleve or Motrin
as long as they don’t have a medical
condition that prevents them from
doing so. If that doesn’t help, we would
prescribe stronger prescription anti-
inflammatory drugs.
The next course of action can be a
cortisone injection. Arthritis in the knee
also can be treated with viscosupple-
mentation, a kind of lubricant that is
injected directly into the knee. This
usually involves a series of three to five
injections a week apart.
If, despite these conservative mea-
sures, the pain begins limiting even
simple activities, such as climbing stairs,
shopping or gardening, it may be time
for total knee replacement surgery.
Dr. Edward Blocker is a board-certified
orthopedic surgeon with Beaufort
Memorial Orthopaedic Specialists. He
can be reached at 843-522-7100. n
Edward
Blocker, MD
PHOTObYTHInksTOck
SPRING 20158

photobygetty/retalesbotijero
AgingIssue
The
Age is Just A Number
The golden years are full of golden opportunities, and it’s never too late to make a change
for the better. Read on for more proof that your happiest years may be yet to come.
Past your prime? There is no such thing, according to these
individuals who achieved greatness well beyond middle age
65laura ingalls
Wilder pub-
lished the first
book in her
Little House
series in 1932.
69in 1981,
ronald reagan
became
president of
the United
States, 16
days shy of his
70th birthday.
70benjamin
Franklin
signed the
Declaration of
Independence
in 1776.
72swedish
shooter oscar
swahn took
silver at
the 1920
Olympics,
making him the
oldest olympic
medal winner.
77While serving
as a United
states senator,
john glenn
embarked on
his second
space flight
in 1998.
82in his seventh
decade of act-
ing, Christopher
plummer
captured his
first Academy
Award in 2012.
92in 2011, gladys
burrill became
the oldest
female mara-
thon finisher
after running
her first mara-
thon at 86.
spring 2015 9

VIEWVIEW
PHOTOBYNEILTINGLE-ALLSTAR-GLOBEPHOTOS,INC.
THE
LONG
Despite a serious eye condition, actress
JUDI DENCH is determined to do what she
loves at age 80 and beyond BY AMY SAUNDERS
SPRING 201510

JUDI DENCH never read
the script for Philomena,
the film that earned
her an Academy Award
nomination in 2013. She
couldn’t see the words.
Macular degeneration, an incurable
disease that results in the loss of central
vision, requires that Dench memorize
lines by listening to friends and co-stars
read aloud. These days, as daylight fades
into darkness, she struggles even to dis-
tinguish the face of a companion across
the dinner table.
But Dame Dench isn’t just known
for playing commanding women, from
queens of England to James Bond’s
boss. She’s equally determined in her
off-screen life. After turning 80 in
December, she insists on acting for as
long as she can. “I suppose I could always
be wheeled onstage if necessary,” she
told The Guardian. She bristles at the oft-
asked question, when is it time to stop?
“It’s the rudest word in my dictionary,
retire,” she told The Hollywood Reporter
last year. “And old is another one. I don’t
allow that in my house.” >
JUDI DENCH
the script for
the film that earned
her an Academy Award
nomination in 2013. She
couldn’t see the words.
Macular degeneration, an incurable
disease that results in the loss of central
vision, requires that Dench memorize
lines by listening to friends and co-stars
read aloud. These days, as daylight fades
into darkness, she struggles even to dis-
tinguish the face of a companion across
the dinner table.
But Dame Dench isn’t just known
for playing commanding women, from
queens of England to James Bond’s
boss. She’s equally determined in her
off-screen life. After turning 80 in
December, she insists on acting for as
long as she can. “I suppose I could always
be wheeled onstage if necessary,” she
told The Guardian
asked question, when is it time to stop?
“It’s the rudest word in my dictionary,
retire,” she told
last year. “And
allow that in my house.” >
SPRING 2015 11

In focusing on her career, Dench has
also challenged herself physically. In
2013, she had knee replacement surgery
less than six weeks before the premiere
of Philomena. “I said to my surgeon,
‘On Oct. 16, I will walk up a red carpet
unaided,’ and so I did,” she told Britain’s
Daily Mirror. “You set your mind to a
goal and go for it.”
American Geriatrics Society President
Wayne McCormick, MD, sees multiple
health benefits in Dench’s pursuits.
“She’s basically exercising her mind
every time she’s rehearsing for a play,
and she’s exercising her body by acting—
both of which are very important for
healthy aging,” he says. “Staying socially
active is another very important part. …
I imagine that she’s almost never work-
ing by herself.”
Following a similar regimen hardly
requires Academy Award-winning
ambition. Completing a crossword
puzzle gives the mind a workout, while
walking even 15 minutes each day has
10 THINGS YOU (PROBABLY)
DON’T KNOW ABOUT JUDI DENCH
1 She beat out Laurence Olivier for
greatest stage actor ever. That’s accord-
ing to readers of the arts publication
The Stage, who in 2010 voted to bestow
the honor.
2 Acting is part of the family business.
Dench’s father was a physician for a theater
company, and her mother served as ward-
robe mistress. Her late husband and brother
were actors, as is her daughter.
3 Her Highness thinks highly of her.
Dench, appointed a Dame in 1988, was
in 2005 named by Queen Elizabeth II a
Companion of Honour—a recognition given
to only 47 Brits at a time.
4 She can sing, too. In 1968, Dench
played the lead in the original London
production of Cabaret. More recently, she
sang a number in the 2009 film Nine.
5 She initially wanted to be a set
designer. At the Central School of Speech
and Drama, Dench later changed her course
of study to acting.
6 After attending a Quaker boarding
school at 14, she adopted the religion.
“I think it informs everything I do,” she told
the U.K.’s Channel 4 News.
7 She co-owned a racehorse, Smokey
Oakey. Last year Dench gifted her beloved
horse, upon his retirement, to an equestrian
center that hosts a riding program for dis-
abled children.
8 You can hear her voice at Epcot …
Since 2008, Dench’s voice has narrated the
ride inside Spaceship Earth, the famous
“golf ball” at Disney World.
9 … and in cartoons about dancing
mice. For the children’s TV series Angelina
Ballerina, Dench lent her voice to Miss Lilly,
the ballet instructor who teaches Angelina—
voiced by Finty Williams, Dench’s daughter.
10 She has made needlepoint gifts for
co-stars. But not in a grandmotherly way:
The foul phrases she stitched aren’t suitable
for print.
Between 1997 and 2001, Dench
received four Academy Award nomina-
tions, collecting a win in 1998 for playing
Queen Elizabeth I in Shakespeare in Love.
She now has seven Oscar nominations to
her name, more than any other 60-plus
actor in history, according to imdb.com.
The Action of Acting
Dench hasn’t allowed herself to slow
down. Thanks to a nearly nonstop film-
ing schedule, she has amassed more
than 40 film and TV credits in the past
two decades. This March, she stars in
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel 2, a sequel
to the 2011 comedy about British retir-
ees moving to India.
She paused only in 2001, when her
husband of 30 years, actor Michael
Williams, died of lung cancer. Even
then, Dench chose to push on through
her grief, beginning her work on The
Shipping News within weeks. “It’s the
best thing I could have done,” she told
The Times of London.
Hollywood Debut at 61
After all, at the age when many might
be counting down to retirement, Dench
was only beginning her movie career.
In 1995, when she made her
Hollywood debut in the James Bond film
GoldenEye, the native of York, England,
had been acting onstage for nearly four
decades, tackling some of Shakespeare’s
greatest roles: Juliet, Ophelia, Lady
Macbeth, Cleopatra.
Dench hadn’t aspired to be on-
screen, preferring the interactivity and
improvisation of the stage. And she
was told early in her career that she
wasn’t cut out for the camera—she had
“every single thing wrong” with her
face, she recalled in an interview with
The Guardian.
But at 61, Dench took on the role of
M, which she would reprise for six more
Bond movies. An actress unknown to
most Americans, who hadn’t visited the
United States in nearly 40 years, was
on the verge of quite the second act.
SPRING 201512

been shown to prolong a healthy life,
McCormick says.
He encourages patients to incorporate
activity into daily routines. Instead of
brewing coffee at home, for example, walk
to a shop to buy a cup and strike up a con-
versation. “Whatever you can do to make
healthy behaviors into habitual behaviors
is going to be positive,” he says.
Dench has said that she loves quizzes
and trivia for the same reason she loves
acting: the opportunity to learn. Every
role, she has said, presents a challenge
that must be overcome.
“I never want to stop,” she told The
Guardian. “I need to learn every day.”
Optimistic Aging
Dench hates to be reminded that she’s
80—nearly twice the age she feels. “I am
about 43, a tall, willowy, blond 43-year-
old with long legs,” she joked to the Daily
Mirror last year.
She doesn’t elaborate about how dif-
ficult it must be to memorize lines she
can’t read, connect with co-stars she
can’t see. She often remarks that she’d
rather listen to the script anyway.
“It is much better having the story
told to you, because ultimately that’s
what the job is, telling an audience the
story,” she told the Daily Mirror.
Dench embodies the attitude asso-
ciated with a long, healthy life, says
Hilary Tindle, MD, an internist and the
author of Up: How Positive Outlook Can
Transform Our Health and Aging.
In an eight-year study of nearly
100,000 women, Tindle and her col-
leagues found that optimists had a
30 percent lower risk for death from
heart disease compared with pessi-
mists. The optimists—generally,
people who expect a positive future—
also were less likely to have diabe-
tes, high blood pressure, depression
and obesity.
Optimism doesn’t mean denying or
ignoring problems, but embracing the
idea that life can be changed—a skill,
Tindle says, that can be learned.
“Positive people, in the true sense
of the word, learn to acknowledge
the adversity that’s around them,” she
says. “They just shift their attention to
the good things that are happening.”
For her part, Dench acknowledged to
The Hollywood Reporter that living with
macular degeneration—unable to enjoy
reading, painting or sewing as she used
to—is “very, very difficult.”
“But these are all of the negatives,”
she said. “I don’t want to really think
about all that. What I can do, I do.” n
photocourtseytheweinsteincompany
Judi Dench
and Steve
Coogan in
the 2013 film
Philomena.
SPRING 2015 13
FdVVSP1500_10-13_JudiDench.indd 13 10/20/14 12:33 PM
The Facts:
Macular
Degeneration
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD)
is the leading cause of severe vision loss for
Americans 60 and older. Some facts about
the disease:
3Macular degeneration is caused by
deterioration of the macula, the central
portion of the retina needed to see
straight ahead, read or drive a car. Vision
increasingly blurs as the disease progresses.
3Older adults, Caucasians and those
with a family history are most likely to
develop the disease.
3AMD cannot be cured but can be
slowed with injections, laser therapy
or surgery.
BMH board-certified ophthalmologist
Jane Kokinakis, DO, of Beaufort Eye Center,
suggests adults 60 and older have a dilated
eye exam every year to monitor for macu-
lar changes.
The National Eye Institute’s second
Age-Related Eye Disease Study is helping
us better understand the appropriate dos-
age of supplemental antioxidants needed
to slow the progression of vision loss.
You can find an excellent explanation of
the use of supplements in an article released
by the National Institutes of Health. Search
the Internet for “NIH study provides clar-
ity on supplements for protection against
blinding eye disease.”
website
Keeping Your
Body in Balance
Beaufort Memorial’s LifeFit
Wellness Center offers tai chi
classes designed to help build
up your core stability and
improve your balance and flex-
ibility. To learn more about any
of the group classes at LifeFit,
visit beaufortmemorial.org.
FdVVSP1599_13-31_Commons.indd 13 12/8/14 7:55 AM

THE BIG STORY
photobygetty/joshuablake
SPRING 201514

You:
Part 2Life is full of surprises, and they
don’t stop when you’re on the other
side of 50. Here’s what you can expect from
your second act By BoB Payne
SPRING 2015 15

photobygetty/DalyanDnewton
Remember teenager Richie
Cunningham and his greaser friend,
The Fonz, in the 1970s sitcom
Happy Days? Life seemed so inno-
cent: the jukebox, the milkshakes,
the varsity jackets. Well, no need
to get too nostalgic, because for
people moving past 50, the happiest
days may be still ahead.
Happy
Days
Older people, studies
show, are more
content than younger folks
Older people tend
to enjoy the present
instead of worrying
about the future.
FINDING
JOY
SPRING 201516

“Study after study is showing that
older people are happier than the mid-
dle-aged, and happier still than younger
people,” says Laura Carstensen, PhD,
a professor of psychology and public
policy at Stanford University, where she
is the founding director of the Stanford
Center on Longevity.
The Paradox of Aging
At 21, a serious car accident landed
Carstensen in a hospital room with
three elderly women who were show-
ing the ill effects of being unable to
care for themselves. This first inkling
of what it was like to be old set her on a
career that examined aging. Along the
way, she discovered something called
the paradox of aging—that older people
often have a better sense of well-being
than everyone else.
From her work, Carstensen and her
colleagues developed a theory as to why
that might be. Socioemotional selectiv-
ity means that as you grow older, and
recognize that you are getting closer
to the end, you focus on what matters
now instead of the long-term goals that
occupy younger people.
“As a result, older people find life
less stressful, they worry less about the
small stuff, they don’t get as angry, they
don’t linger over negative feelings as
much, they are better at reconciliation,
and although they can be sad, they are
better at accepting it,” Carstensen says.
The Secret: Fewer,
Closer Relationships
A primary way older people demonstrate
their focus on the now is by replacing
a larger number of casual relationships
with fewer, closer ones. They winnow
out the people they used to think they
had to tolerate, whether they liked them
or not—people, perhaps, who could ben-
efit them careerwise or socially. And
with decreasing pressure to make every
decision with an eye to the long term,
they develop a more positive outlook.
The golden years, of course, are not
all golden, and happiness does not con-
tinue to grow into extreme old age. As
people pass 70 or so, and illness, infir-
mity, and, for some, loss of social status
and declining bank accounts begin to
take their toll, the happiness curve lev-
els off and then heads down.
“But it never gets back to the level of
younger people,” Carstensen says.
In fact, she says in her book, A Long
Bright Future: Happiness, Health, and
Financial Security In an Age of Increased
Longevity, that “despite being flush with
youthful vigor and opportunity, twenty-
somethings are the most depressed and
stressed out of any age group.”
Happy Elders = Happy
Society
As advances in science and technology
continue to increase life expectancy
and the age of the population (by 2030,
the U.S. will have more people over 65
than under 15), one intriguing aspect
of the happiness of older people is
the effect it could have on society as
a whole.
What if, as Carstensen suggests,
that to help solve problems facing us
on a national or even global scale, our
society makes use of an ever-increasing
segment of the population—one with
a lifetime of experience and knowl-
edge, that doesn’t anger easily, doesn’t
stress over the small stuff, and is good
at reconciliation?
The answer, she said, at a
TEDxWomen talk she gave in 2011,
is that we could have a better society
“than we have ever known.”
And wouldn’t that make everybody
happy? n
SPRING 2015 17
FdVVSP1500_14-21_You_Part2.indd 17 10/20/14 12:44 PM
The Ups of Aging
Who says old age has to be a downer? There are plenty of positives to all
those birthdays.
“You’re not tied to things that hold you back, like the need for success or
others’ approval,” says psychotherapist Patricia Rickenbaker of Beaufort
Memorial Sea Island Psychiatry. “You have learned to take things in stride and
not get bogged down in the little aggravations of life.”
In our younger years when we’re busy with life, we often override our body’s
needs and warnings. “You have the time now to go to the doctor when you’re
sick or rest when you’re tired,” Rickenbaker says.
Sure, you may have some physical challenges, but that doesn’t mean you
can’t remain active and engaged. Reach out to old friends. Make new ones.
You’ve got time to socialize now. Enjoy it!
website
Staying Active
as We Age
Need an excuse to get out
of the house and make new
friends? Studies show social
interaction can help you stay
sharp and healthy and may
even ward off dementia. For
tips on how to stay socially
active, go to bmhsc.org/
themorethehealthier.

Blueprint for
a Second act
You really can turn back the clock on your
health, even in middle age
The study, which appeared in the
American Journal of Medicine, found that
just four years after middle-aged people
adapted four specific healthy lifestyle
habits, the risk of cardiovascular disease
was reduced by 35 percent and mortal-
ity by 40 percent. And the benefits didn’t
depend on gender, age, race, socio-
economic status or a history of high cho-
lesterol levels, diabetes or heart disease.
Of course, breaking the habits of a
lifetime, even when you know they are
bad for you, is no easy thing. In part,
that’s because habits can be triggered by
external cues you are not even aware of.
For instance, when you turn on the TV,
habit might tell you it’s time for a snack,
whether you’re hungry or not.
With the exception of giving up smok-
ing, the changes King and his fellow
researchers monitored were modest.
Along with not smoking, newly adopted
habits included eating five or more serv-
ings of fruits and vegetables daily, exer-
cising a minimum of 2½ hours a week
and maintaining a body mass index
of 18.5 to 30. Yet six years later, only
8.4 percent of the study subjects had
maintained the habits.
Virginia University Department of
Family Medicine.
King says less than 10 percent of
middle-aged Americans follow healthy
lifestyle patterns that include exercise,
eating plenty of fruits and vegetables,
maintaining a healthy weight and
not smoking.
Small Changes,
Big Differences
There is good news, though. The study
shows that boomers are smoking less
than their parents did and are less likely
to suffer from emphysema or have a
heart attack. And another study King
co-authored found that adapting healthy
lifestyle habits in middle age can have a
tremendous impact in a short time.
“What we discovered is that you can
turn back the clock, and you can do it
at any age; it’s never too late to start,”
King says.
But who spends an entire lifetime
following that path? Not baby boom-
ers, it turns out. Although they are
living longer, the generation born in
1946 through 1964 (the first of them
turned 65 in 2011) is less healthy
than their parents were at the same
stage in life.
Boomer Lifestyle:
Not What You Think
According to a study in the journal
JAMA Internal Medicine, baby boomers,
compared with the previous generation,
exercised significantly less, were more
obese, did more of what was categorized
as “moderate drinking” and had higher
rates of chronic disease and disability.
“It’s ironic, because boomers think
of themselves as living a more healthy
lifestyle, but we don’t see it among
patients,” says study co-author Dana
E. King, MD, chairman of the West
It seems like a no-brainer, doesn’t it? Eat your
veggies, watch your weight, exercise regularly
and don’t smoke, and you likely will have fewer
health problems and live longer.
FINDING
HEALTH
SPRING 201518

Never Too Late
“It may be some people don’t change
because they believe that by middle age
the damage has been done and there is
nothing they can do to fix it, and it may
be that the public health message isn’t
reaching those who most need to hear
it,” King says.
The “turning back the clock” study
showed that people less likely to adopt a
healthy lifestyle in middle age included
men, African-Americans, people with
lower incomes, and individuals with a
history of hypertension or diabetes.
So, if you are a baby boomer in any
of those groups, or if you haven’t been
eating your vegetables, taking your
walks, watching your weight, or stay-
ing away from the smokes, consider
yourself messaged. n
photobycorbis/alloy
Adopting an exercise routine
and other lifestyle changes can
reduce your risk of heart disease.
SPRING 2015 19
Change
for Good
Ready to get off the couch and give up the chips and soda? While you may be
motivated to improve your health, it’s best to start off slow and make one life-
style change at a time, says Kimberly Yawn, Beaufort Memorial’s LifeFit Wellness
Services manager.
“Making multiple changes at once can be overwhelming,” Yawn says. “You’re
better off taking one step at a
time and gradually building up to
your goal.”
Instead of working out for 30 min-
utes five days a week, start exercising
three days a week. As you become
consistent with that schedule, add
another day to your training. Once
you’ve made exercise part of your rou-
tine, tackle another lifestyle change.
“If you drink regular soda, switch
to the diet version of your favorite
beverage,” Yawn says. “Then wean
yourself over time to a healthier alter-
native like water or skim milk.”
CALL
Toss Those
Smokes
Need help kicking the habit?
Sign up for Freedom from
Smoking, a smoking cessation
program offered at Beaufort
Memorial’s LifeFit Wellness
Services. For more informa-
tion, call 843-522-5570.

photobygetty/burazin
FINDING
SUPPORT
A unique aspect of caring for
Alzheimer’s patients, says dementia care
expert Peter Rabins, MD, a geriatric psy-
chiatrist and the author of The 36-Hour
Day: A Family Guide to Caring for People
Who Have Alzheimer Disease, Related
Dementias, and Memory Loss, is that at
some point almost all caregivers become
frustrated, even angry, which leads to
the guilt.
Guilt Fix No. 1:
Be the Decider
“Caring for Alzheimer’s patients can
force the caregiver to make decisions,
about driving, cooking and finances,
for example, that the person with the
illness would have made for them-
selves were they well,” Rabins says.
“This is often upsetting for the person
with the illness and induces guilt in
the caregiver.”
What a caregiver must realize, he
says, is that those sometimes-difficult
substitute decisions, if they protect
the person with the illness and others
from harm, are the right decisions.
Guilt Fix No. 2:
Lower Expectations
A key to avoiding frustration and anger,
Rabins says, is to accept that changes in
behavior, as difficult as they may be to
deal with, especially when they involve
the loss of social skills and social graces,
are caused by the disease, and are not
the person’s fault.
“You’ve got to have realistic expecta-
tions,” he says. “You’ve got to accept
The elephanT
in The Room:
GuilT5 ways to overcome the self-
reproach almost universal
among Alzheimer’s caregivers
There’s nothing easy about dealing with
Alzheimer’s. But if you are a home caregiver,
one of the biggest challenges is the guilt you
will almost certainly feel.
SPRING 201520

PHOTOBYGETTY/KONDOROSÉVAKATALIN
that what a loved one could
do yesterday they may not
be able to do today, and
what they can do today
they may not be able to
do tomorrow.”
GUILT FIX NO. 3:
It’s OK to Lie
A common source of
guilt is lying in order
to calm a person with
Alzheimer’s. For example,
a caregiver might say that
a mother is away for the
weekend and will be back on Monday,
when she died many years ago.
“If the person with dementia is clearly
unable to understand the ‘truth,’ and
that is distressing them, then I believe
‘lying’ is justifiable, if other approaches
fail,” Rabins says.
Other approaches, he says, might
include discussion, redirection or dis-
traction, such as asking the person to
name his mother’s best quality.
GUILT FIX NO. 4:
It’s Not OK to Argue
Strategies should not, however, include
arguing. “Argument implies there is a
reasoned discussion. But if a person has
lost that ability due to dementia, then it
is not a useful approach,” Rabins says.
Caring for a friend or family member
with Alzheimer’s is, for most people,
an act of love. But as the disease pro-
gresses, the ways that love is recog-
nized, appreciated and expressed are
altered, he says. Many patients, for
example, develop significant impair-
ment in language, which makes them
unable to understand verbally what is
being communicated.
“Touch, tone of voice, and facial
expression (and) body language
become alternate ways to let a person
know they are loved,” Rabins says.
GUILT FIX NO. 5: Give
Nursing Homes a Chance
For many families, the previous four
issues pale next to the question of
when is the right time for a person with
Alzheimer’s to go into a nursing home.
“It is an incredibly hard decision
for many people, and there is no one
indicator as to when the time is right,”
Rabins says.
He has observed that families usu-
ally wait longer to make the decision
than they should. There comes a time,
he says, when physical impairment or
needs that can’t be met by a home care-
giver make the move necessary.
A positive note, though, is that people
with Alzheimer’s often do a little bet-
ter when they go into a long-term care
facility because they are getting physi-
cal care they couldn’t recieve at home.
Also, relieved of the responsibility for
day-to-day physical care, loved ones
often find they are better able to pro-
vide the personal, loving interaction
that is so important, too.
For anyone newly faced with car-
ing for a family member or friend with
Alzheimer’s, all of this can seem over-
whelming. Just remember, Rabins says:
Make every decision an act of love, and
it will probably be a good one. I
SPRING 2015 21
Battle
Burnout
with a
Little
Help from
Your
Friends
Caring for a loved one with
Alzheimer’s can be rewarding
and stressful all at once.
“The emotional experiences
involved with providing care can
strain even the most capable
person,” says social worker Peggy
Hitchcox, Beaufort Memorial’s
Memory Center navigator.
“Caregiver stress is one of the
biggest reasons people with the
disease enter nursing facilities.”
Symptoms of stress include
anxiety, depression, disturbed
sleep, headaches, digestive prob-
lems, fatigue and mood swings.
To battle burnout, make
changes in your care routine,
enlist the help of friends and fam-
ily, tap into community resources
or hire an aid. Also, talk with a
professional counselor who can
help you evaluate your situation.
CALL
Don’t Forget!
Beaufort Memorial Memory
Center offers help to dementia
patients and their caregivers.
To schedule an assessment
and gain access to a network
of service providers and
dementia care organizations,
call 843-707-8833.

THE
GOING
THROU
MOTIMOTIMOTI
THROU
MOTISPRING 201522

Our joints endure
a lifetime of
bending, twisting
and rotating.
Here’s how to keep
them in top shape
BY KIMBERLY OLSON
GH
ONS
Our joints endureOur joints endureOur joints endure
a lifetime ofa lifetime ofa lifetime of
bending, twistingbending, twistingbending, twisting
and rotating.and rotating.and rotating.
Here’s how to keepHere’s how to keepHere’s how to keep
them in top shapethem in top shapethem in top shape
BY KIMBERLY OLSONKIMBERLY OLSON
GHGHGH
ONSONS
W
ithout your joints,
you wouldn’t be
able to walk, stand
or sit. And you cer-
tainly couldn’t tackle complex
tasks like buttoning a shirt, tex-
ting or busting out a killer dance
move at your granddaughter’s
wedding. More than 200 joints
connect your bones, and despite
their usefulness, they’re easy to
take for granted—that is, until
they get stiﬀ or achy.
As you journey through life,
the pressure you put on your
hardworking joints adds up. But
that’s hardly an excuse to plop on
the couch and throw your feet up.
“Joints are happiest when they’re
moved a lot,” says Karen M.
Sutton, MD, a sports medicine phy-
sician and fellow of the
American Academy of
Orthopaedic Surgeons.
So staying active—
without overdoing
it—is the best strategy
for keeping your joints
gliding smoothly.
SPRING 2015 23

PREGNANTPHOTOBYTHINKSTOCK;BOYPHOTOBYGETTY/PHOTOSINDIA
Getting in
the Game
As kids leave toddlerhood
behind, many graduate from
playtime to organized
sports, ramping up the
impact on their joints.
During their growth spurt, which will
continue through their teens, their joints
are the healthiest they’ll ever be. But that
doesn’t mean the younger set is invincible,
even if they are dashing around the house
in a superhero cape. At both ends of their
long bones, kids have growth plates—areas
of growing cartilage—that are vulnerable
to fractures. Pint-sized soccer, basketball
and volleyball players may develop a pain-
ful bump below the knee, called Osgood-
Schlatter disease. Growth-plate injuries
are also common in football, gymnastics,
biking and skateboarding.
3WHAT YOU CAN DO: “We encour-
age children to be active, but playing the
same sport year-round puts the joints
at increased risk of injury,” Sutton says.
“So if they play one sport for two to three
seasons, they should play a diﬀerent sport
the other seasons.”
Limber Beginnings
It’s hard to imagine not having joints, but that’s
how we begin. An embryo’s legs are solid and
unbending. Then, at eight to 12 weeks, those
legs start to indent, gradually forming the knee
and hip joints. Fetal joints go through some
pretty awkward positions in the womb—and
bend even more as the baby travels through the
birth canal—so infants have the sort of ﬂexibility
that would put a Cirque du Soleil performer to
shame. That mobility stays with them through
their toddler years.
SPRING 201524

PHOTOBYTHINKSTOCK
Teen Knees
In adolescence, the growth plates become
solid bone. But now, the ligaments—bands
of tissue that connect bones—become the
weak link. “We each have two menisci
[cushiony cartilage pads] in our
knee joints, and they start to
lose blood supply around
age 18, increasing the risk
of injury,” Sutton says.
Because of girls’ wider
hips, the thighbone takes
a sharper angle from
knee to hip, making
the knees especially
vulnerable. It may
not be fair, but
female athletes in
jumping or pivot-
ing sports like bas-
ketball are up to 10
times more likely than
males to tear their anterior
cruciate ligament (ACL), a major
knee component.
3WHAT YOU CAN DO: Teens
who are physically active reap
the rewards—a boost in the
blood supply to their joints and
greater joint lubrication. Teenage
athletes should also condition
their muscles for better joint sta-
bility. “As girls move into puberty,
the muscle mass around their joints
doesn’t keep up with their growth
as well as it does in boys, so even
if they’re playing soccer 20 hours
a week, we encourage them to put
in some extra time to do strength
and conditioning training for injury
prevention,” Sutton says.
STRATEGIES
FOR JOYFUL
JOINTS
Your joints, like any hardware, get worn with use.
But developing a few healthy habits can help safe-
guard them.
LIGHTEN THE LOAD If you’re over your ideal
weight, slimming down can make every step that
much gentler. “Every 1 pound you take off of
your body is actually 4 pounds (of pressure) off
your knees, as you’re doing your daily activities,”
says Karen M. Sutton, MD, a sports medicine phy-
sician and a fellow of the American Academy of
Orthopaedic Surgeons.
KEEP MOVING Getting regular activity increases
your range of motion and reduces inflammatory
markers in your blood, like c-reactive protein, which
signal unhealthy changes. “It’s important to get
some extra movement, even if it’s just walking,”
Sutton says. “Instead of having somebody bring the
paper in for you, you walk to get the paper. If you’re
going out for dinner, park a few blocks away and
walk there. Over time, that helps increase the flex-
ibility and lubricating factors of the joint, which in
turn protects the cartilage.”
STAY STRONG Strengthening the muscles around
the joints is important—building your quadriceps
and hamstrings, for example, helps stabilize your
knees. “I equate the joint to a growing sapling, with
support strings to hold it straight,” Sutton says.
“The muscles are like those support strings.”
But don’t stop there. Research shows that it’s
also important to develop your overall strength,
which includes working your core, glutes and pos-
terior muscles. “Maybe you’re stretching on a Bosu
ball, so you have to hold your ankle and your core
still,” Sutton suggests. “Or you’re doing pushups
with your feet on an exercise ball. Anything that
adds a little balance training is good for the joints.”
EAT SMART A growing body of research shows
that a diet high in fruit, vegetables, grains and beans
can prevent arthritis or alleviate its symptoms.
MIND YOUR POSTURE Slumping puts stress
on the spinal and shoulder joints and can damage
them, so get into the practice of sitting and stand-
ing up straight. You’ll look better, too!
SPRING 2015 25

PHOTOBYTHINKSTOCK
Watch Your Back
The spine consists of 26 bones that reach from the
base of the skull to the pelvis. As we enter our 50s,
the spinal column tends to narrow and put pres-
sure on nerves in a condition called spinal stenosis,
which causes back pain or numbness in the legs
or buttocks.
3WHAT YOU CAN DO: If symptoms are mild,
therapies like acupuncture, physical therapy
or steroid injections can provide relief
and get you back in the swing of
things. For more severe cases,
your doctor might recommend
surgery. Many patients
can benefit from
minimally invasive
procedures per-
formed through
tiny incisions.
Staying Fluid After 40
Into our 40s and 50s, the first few steps in the morning may be a bit stiff. And
while osteoarthritis often makes an appearance now, a healthy lifestyle can
go a long way toward quelling it. As metabolism gets sluggish—particularly
for women, who are undergoing hormonal shifts—it’s important to be vigilant
about staving off excess pounds that put more pressure on the joints.
3WHAT YOU CAN DO: “If you watch what you’re eating, are at a good
weight and do lower-impact exercises to keep the joints moving without put-
ting a lot of force on them, you can help prevent or at least delay the onset
of arthritis,” Sutton says. If you do develop arthritis, take heart: Modern
therapies may allow you to participate in activities that wouldn’t have been
possible just 25 years ago.
Grown-up Joints
By our 20th birthday, our joints
have seen plenty of action. We’ve
taken about 35 million steps, the
equivalent of crossing the United
States six times. In our 20s and
beyond, the blood supply to the
joints drops further, and we con-
tinue to lose joint-lubricating
synovial fluid.
In our 30s, our shock-absorbing
cartilage starts to wear down. The
cartilage under the patella (knee-
cap), for example, pays the price
of years of squatting, bending,
and walking up and down stairs.
“When we start out, the cartilage
is like a beautiful ice rink surface
before the Olympics,” Sutton says.
“But as we play sports and get
into our 20s to 40s, a few peewee
teams have played on the rink, and
then professional hockey teams
like the Bruins are playing on it.
So it wears out with age.”
3WHAT YOU CAN DO: Keep
moving! It might be tempting
to be sedentary during the
week and then transform
into a weekend warrior—
but that’s asking for trou-
ble. Regular strength
and conditioning
training keeps the
joints healthiest.
In case of knee
pain, a therapy
called visco-
supplementation—
medication that’s
injected into the
knee—can protect
cartilage and pro-
vide relief.
SPRING 201526

PHOTOBYTHINKSTOCK
Shoulder to Shoulder
Entering the senior years, tears in the rotator cuff—
the group of muscles and tendons around the shoul-
der joint—become common. The rotator cuff gets less
blood supply as you age, so when even micro-
scopic injuries happen, the tissue can’t repair
itself as it once did. About 30 percent of
people in their 60s have some sort of rotator
cuff tear, and that number shoots to 50 to
60 percent for people in their 80s. These
injuries, which might go unnoticed in the
early stages, are especially common in
factory workers and anyone who regu-
larly pulls down with their arms.
3WHAT YOU CAN DO: Regular
shoulder exercises can help prevent
rotator cuff tears. If a tear happens, it
may start out small and worsen over time,
occasionally developing into an irreparable
problem. “For somebody who has an active
lifestyle, we would recommend surgery to
decrease the rate of progression,” Sutton says.
Senior Strength
As you start thinking about retirement,
it’s important to stave off osteoporosis
(bone loss), which can set the scene
for fractures around the joint. Two
million broken bones a year in the
U.S. are related to osteoporosis.
Years of exercise, proper nutrition, and
habits like avoiding smoking and going
light on alcohol and caffeine will now pay
big dividends.
3WHAT YOU CAN DO: Continue
weight-bearing activities and muscle
strengthening. Your doctor can give
you advice about your diet and whether
you might benefit from calcium and
vitamin D supplements. Women older
than 65 and men older than 70 should
get a bone-density scan, the National
Osteoporosis Foundation says. Keep avoid-
ing smoking and limiting alcohol and
caffeine consumption. I
SPRING 2015 27
FdVVSP1500_22-27_Joints.indd 27 10/20/14 12:53 PM
Joint Replacement Surgery:
Better
Than Ever
You only buy shoes in your size, of
course. But there was a time when joint
replacements came in only a few sizes,
so the fit might have been less than per-
fect. Fortunately, that’s changed. Today,
joint replacements are customized by
size, making them perform better and
last longer.
“The computer determines
the optimal alignment,” says
Kevin Jones, MD, a Beaufort
Memorial orthopedic sur-
geon specializing in minimally
invasive total hip and knee
replacement surgery. “You
get a better range of motion,
and the knee will last longer
because it’s balanced bet-
ter, so there’s less wear on
the implant.”
While modern joint replacement sur-
gery has improved dramatically, it’s not
the end-all to a good outcome. “Surgery
is only the first step,” says Andrea
Sadler, Beaufort Memorial physical
therapist and orthopedic care coor-
dinator. “Patients have to be com-
mitted to the physical therapy part of
the process to get the maximum results
they desire. A lot of it is up to them.”
CLASS
Get the 411 on
Joint Replacement
Attend one of Beaufort Memorial’s free informa-
tional sessions to learn about knee and hip anatomy,
signs and symptoms of joint-related problems and
treatment options to relieve or resolve joint pain,
led by BMH physical therapist Andrea Sadler. Call
843-522-5585 to sign up for the class.

YOUR LAST CHAPTER:
EXPRESSING
END-OF-LIFE
WISHES
PHOTOBYGETTY/JAMIEGRILL
SPRING 201528

It’s
something
that no
one wants
to think
about, but
everyone
needs to:
the end
BY COLLEEN
RINGER
SPRING 2015 29

What is an advance
directive? Is that
like a living will?
Advance directives are legal documents
that outline end-of-life requests, and a
living will is a type of advance directive.
In a living will, you clarify the types of
life-prolonging medical treatments you
would or wouldn’t want, such as artifi-
cial feeding, resuscitation and mechani-
cal breathing, if, for example, you were
in a coma.
There are two other types of advance
directives: a medical power of attorney
(your healthcare proxy), in which you
choose who will make your healthcare
decisions for you if you can’t; and an
optional do-not-resuscitate (DNR)
order, in which you can request that
CPR not be performed if your heart
stops or if you stop breathing.
Completing all three documents—
or two if you do want to be
resuscitated—covers the bases.
Sounds confusing.
Where do I start?
Begin by completing a living
will. “Ask yourself what your goals are,”
Morris says. “To live as many days as
possible, no matter what? Think about
what’s valuable to you and what’s intol-
erable in terms of quality of life.” You
won’t be able to cover every situation,
but consider, for instance, under what
circumstances and for how long you
would want to be on a ventilator. The
same goes for artificial nutrition and
Y
ou’ve seen it played out in movies—siblings squabbling
over end-of-life decisions for their parent, a family bick-
ering about what to do after one of their own has been
in a serious accident. Unfortunately, those scenes aren’t
only reserved for the big screen. What would happen to you if you
couldn’t speak for yourself? In those moments, decisions about
your future may fall to the people who rush to your bedside. Make
their job easier and ensure your wishes are respected by leaving
them a road map, says Virginia Morris, author of How to Care for
Aging Parents. The best way to do that? Advance directives. Here’s
how to get your affairs in order.
photobygetty/tamarastaples
SPRING 201530

hydration, meaning nutrients and fluids
are given through an IV or a stomach
tube. Put all of these things into your
living will.
Next, think long and hard about
whom you want to designate as your
healthcare proxy. “It’s not necessarily
the first person you think of—it might
not be your spouse or sibling,” Morris
says. “You want someone who will step
in and say, ‘Why are we doing this? I
don’t think this is what she wanted.’”
Is there a form
I can fill out?
Yes, each state has specific
advance directive documents. If you
spend time in more than one state,
complete forms for both. You can search
online for your state’s forms or go to
your local library. Although some states
require that the forms be notarized,
you won’t need a lawyer. Give a copy
to your healthcare proxy and to your
doctor—and keep the originals some-
where safe, but not in a safe deposit box
where they might be hard for others to
get to in an emergency.
I’m done now,
right?
Technically, yes, but you
shouldn’t stop there. “If you’re just
signing the document and that’s it, it’s
almost like you did nothing,” Morris
says. “What you need to do is have con-
versations with people, especially your
healthcare proxy, about what you want
and don’t want. When your loved one is
standing there and a doctor is saying we
can do this or that, their instincts will
kick in and they’ll say yes—even if it’s
not what you would have wanted.”
Start this tough conversation as early
as possible—ideally, when it’s theoreti-
cal and not when you’re in the hospital.
Then, when you’re in a tough situation,
you can pick up the discussion where
you left off.
What if a medical
breakthrough
changes the game?
Whether it’s because a groundbreaking
treatment has been discovered or you’ve
simply changed your views, you can
redo your advance directives at any time
(be sure to destroy the old copies). But
this is also why it’s important to have a
healthcare proxy. This person can make
decisions based on the situation and
how he or she knows you feel about life,
pain, suffering and death. n
SPRING 2015 31
FdVVSP1500_28-31_LivingWills.indd 31 10/20/14 1:08 PM
Caring
for
Future
Genera-
tions
Once you’ve made decisions
about life and death, you’ll
need to consider how your
estate will be divided up among
your nearest and dearest. Have
you thought about giving back
to the place that cared for
you—your local not-for-profit
hospital? A planned or estate
gift to the Beaufort Memorial
Hospital Foundation can take
many forms, such as naming
the BMH Foundation in your
will or as a beneficiary of your
retirement account or life
insurance policy. These legacy
gifts help support, sustain
and improve the hospital for
future generations.
CALL
Gift Plans
Setting up a charitable gift annuity or charitable remainder trust
is a great way to support the BMH Foundation. To learn more
about the advantages of both, call 843-522-5774.

333
10
THE QUICK LIST
TAKEAWAYS FOR
LIFE AFTER 50
WANT MORE HEALTHY IDEAS? Check out our summer issue, focusing on building a healthy mind.
1
In the United States,
seniors 65 and older
will outnumber children
15 and younger by 2030.
2
Focus on the
present and on
fewer, closer rela-
tionships, and you’ll likely
grow happier as you age.
4
Only 10 percent
of middle-aged
Americans regu-
larly exercise, follow a
nutritious diet, maintain a
healthy weight and refrain
from smoking.
5
Look on the
bright side: The
risk of death from
heart disease is 30 per-
cent lower for optimists
than for pessimists.
6
Write a living
will and choose
a medical
power of attor-
ney now to help
your loved ones understand
your wishes later.
7
You really can
turn back the
clock: Four
years after middle-
aged people adopted
healthy lifestyle
changes, their risk of
mortality dropped
40 percent.
Stay slim. For every
pound you lose,
you take 4 pounds
of pressure off
your knees.
Add weight training to your
exercise routine. In the U.S.,
2 million broken bones are
related to osteoporosis annually.
9
Alzheimer’s caregivers, remember
that difficult decisions help protect
your loved one from harm.
8
Healthy habits don’t have to be
complicated. Walk to a shop
for your morning coffee instead
of making a cup at home.
10
PHOTOSBYTHINKSTOCK
SPRING 201532

A
s a busy horticulturist, Deb
Hopewell has never had any
trouble getting in the recom-
mended 30 minutes of
exercise a day to keep healthy.
“I’m outside all the time helping peo-
ple with their gardens,” she says. “I do a
lot of weeding, pruning and planting.”
She also practices yoga a couple of
times a week, swims laps in the neighbor-
hood pool and walks her coon hounds,
Archie and Rowdy, a mile or two twice
a day.
When it comes to her diet, she’s
just as careful to follow the nutritional
guidelines, avoiding junk food and
processed meals.
“We don’t eat out of a box,” says
Hopewell, who lives on Fripp Island
with her husband, Gary Braatz.
“We cook at home every night.”
The picture of health, Hopewell
never imagined at the age of 57 she’d
end up in the ER with a heart attack.
Fripp Island horticulturist
Deb Hopewell was the picture
of health when she suffered a
massive heart attack at the age
of 57. After an emergency cardiac
intervention, she’s back digging life
Hearty
and
Hale
After her heart
attack, Deb Hopewell
was quickly able to
return to her work as
a horticulturist.
SPRING 2015 33

“I didn’t have high cholesterol or high
blood pressure, and I have only a mini-
mal family history of heart disease,” she
says. “There were no red flags.”
Recognizing the Signs
But on the afternoon of Oct. 29, 2013,
Hopewell came home from work and
began having weird symptoms. Her
upper left shoulder ached as if she had
pulled a muscle.
“I started sweating profusely, like
someone had turned the hose on me,”
she recalls. “My shoulders across my
back started cramping, and my jaw
was aching.”
When she turned an ashen gray, her
husband told her he thought she was
having a heart attack.
“I had lunch that day at a new restau-
rant,” Hopewell says. “I was hoping it
was just food poisoning.”
Not wanting to take any chances, her
husband took her to the Fripp Island
fire station just two minutes from their
house. Paramedics gave her aspirin and
nitroglycerin, hooked her up to an EKG
and called an ambulance.
Hopewell was rushed to Beaufort
Memorial Hospital’s emergency room
and within 30 minutes was taken to
the cath lab for an emergency cardiac
intervention. Tests confirmed she was
having an ST elevation myocardial
infarction, or STEMI, the most danger-
ous type of heart attack.
Her left interior descending artery,
ominously referred to as the “widow
maker,” was nearly 100 percent blocked,
keeping blood from flowing to her heart.
BMH cardiologist Stuart Smalheiser, MD,
was called in to perform an emergency
percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI)
to open the occluded artery.
“I remember complaining that my
shoulders ached,” Hopewell says.
“Dr. Smalheiser kept telling me, ‘You
have had a heart attack.’ I was in
total denial.”
Lifesaving Intervention
During a PCI, a catheter with a balloon
at its tip is inserted into the blocked
artery and then inflated to push away
the clot and restore blood flow to the
heart. After the balloon opens the
blocked artery, a stent is placed in the
area of the clot to stabilize the artery
and prevent it from closing again.
Only 25 percent of U.S. hospitals
have PCI capability. Beaufort Memorial
had received state approval to per-
form the lifesaving procedure just four
months before Hopewell’s heart attack.
Prior to June 2013, BMH patients hav-
ing a STEMI were given clot-busting
medication and airlifted to a hospital
in Charleston or Savannah approved to
perform the emergency intervention.
For patients like Hopewell who live
30 minutes from the hospital, it wasn’t
always possible to get them into a cath lab
for the procedure within the 90-minute
practice guidelines established by the
American College of Cardiology and the
American Heart Association.
Timely intervention is critical with
STEMIs because the longer it takes to
clear the clot and restore blood flow,
the greater the amount of damage to
the heart muscle. Yet fewer than half of
STEMI patients in the U.S. undergo PCI
within the recommended time frame.
BMH’s door-to-balloon time averaged
57 minutes in the first quarter of 2014,
beating the national average by seven
minutes and the AHA’s guidelines by
33 minutes. Hopewell was treated even
faster. Her blocked artery was open
47 minutes after she arrived in the ER.
Making a Difference
“The program has been more success-
ful than anyone ever thought it would
be,” says Smalheiser, one of three BMH
interventional cardiologists trained to
perform the procedure.
CALL
A $60 Screening Package
That Could Save Your Life
The heart is only part of the cardiovascular system, which includes the
entire circulatory system. Vascular disease is the No. 1 killer of both men
and women, and if untreated can cause a stroke. For $60, Beaufort Memorial
offers a complete vascular screening package: carotid artery scan; abdomi-
nal aortic aneurysm scan; and ankle-brachial scan. Appointments for the
screening, which is not covered by insurance, are available in both Beaufort
and Bluffton. Call 843-522-5635 to schedule.
“I started sweating profusely, like someone
had turned the hose on me,” she recalls. “My
shoulders across my back started cramping,
and my jaw was aching.” When she turned
an ashen gray, her husband told her he
thought she was having a heart attack.
SPRING 201534

In the first 14 months the program
was in operation, the cardiologists per-
formed 50 emergency PCIs on patients
having STEMI heart attacks. All of the
interventions were successful.
Last fall, BMH received prestigious
national awards for its cardiac care
from the American Heart Association
and the American College of
Cardiology Foundation.
“I can’t say enough about the care
I received at Beaufort Memorial,”
Hopewell says. “Dr. Smalheiser was so
kind. And the ICU staff was incredible.
They treated me like a princess.”
To reduce the chance Hopewell will
have a second heart attack, Smalheiser
prescribed drug therapy that includes a
baby aspirin every day, along with blood
pressure and cholesterol medication.
Am I HAvIng
A HeArt
AttAck?
Despite what you see on TV, heart
attacks don’t always begin with
sudden, crushing chest pain. Some
people experience only mild symp-
toms; others none at all. Be aware
that women’s symptoms may differ
from men’s.
It’s important to know the most
common symptoms and seek medical
attention quickly if you think you’re
having a heart attack. Warning signs
can include:
• Pain or discomfort in the center
or left side of the chest
• Pain or discomfort in one or both
arms, the back, shoulders, neck,
jaw or upper part of the stomach
• Shortness of breath
• Breaking out in a cold sweat
• Feeling unusually tired for no
reason
• Lightheadedness or sudden
dizziness
The symptoms of a heart attack
can vary in severity, and may come
and go over several hours. Women
are more likely to have shortness
of breath, nausea and vomiting,
unusual tiredness and pain in the
back, shoulders and jaw.
If you think you may be having a
cardiac event, don’t ignore it. Call 911
immediately. When it comes to heart
attacks, minutes matter.
“Despite having zero or minimal
risk factors, you can still have a heart
attack,” says Smalheiser, of Beaufort
Memorial Lowcountry Medical Group.
“If you take care of yourself, you will
reduce the risk, but you can’t eliminate
it. That’s why it’s so important to be
vigilant about symptoms, even if they’re
atypical. Recognizing the warning signs
and getting to a hospital quickly could
save your life.” n
SPRING 2015 35

C
indy Jamison wasn’t scared
of having a hysterectomy.
The 50-year-old was more
than happy to have her uterus
removed, along with those pesky ﬁbroids
that had been causing her stomach pain
for nearly two years.
What she dreaded was the recovery
after surgery.
“I’m a busybody,” she says. “I don’t
like sitting still.”
So when her OB-GYN, Gregory
Miller, MD, suggested she have a new
minimally invasive surgery that oﬀers
a remarkably short recovery time, she
jumped on the idea.
Cindy Jamison lures
resident ducks to her pond
with a handful of food.
Cindy Jamison lures
Single-site hysterectomy leaves
50-year-old Hampton patient
with no visible scar
WITHOUT
A TRACE
GONE
SPRING 201536

The advanced procedure—a robot-
assisted single-site hysterectomy—can
be performed in less than two hours.
More important, it requires just one
small incision in the umbilicus, speed-
ing up healing and improving the
cosmetic outcome.
“I was interested in the faster heal-
ing,” Jamison says. “Less scarring
wasn’t as important to me.”
But she never expected the results
to be so phenomenal.
“You can’t even see the scar,” the
Hampton resident says. “You’d never
know I had surgery.”
At the Forefront of
Technology
Miller and three other BMH physicians
are the first surgeons in the Lowcountry
to offer the cutting-edge procedure.
Typically, robot-assisted laparoscopic
hysterectomies require three or four
incisions in the abdomen.
“With each incision, there is a risk
of developing an incisional hernia,
infection or bleeding,” says Miller, a
board-certified OB-GYN with Beaufort
Memorial Obstetrics & Gynecology
Specialists. “With only one incision,
there is less risk of complications,
less pain, faster recovery and bet-
ter cosmetics.”
Miller and his colleagues received
training last year to perform single-site
hysterectomies using special instru-
mentation created for the da Vinci Si
robot. Two Beaufort Memorial general
surgeons also are using the single-site
technology to remove gallbladders.
“Because the instrument is not
wristed like those used in multiport
surgeries, it’s technically a little more
difficult to perform,” Miller says of the
procedure. “But we wanted to be able
to offer our patients an option that
potentially provides better results.”
The One and Only
Jamison went to see Miller last sum-
mer after her primary care doctor found
fibroids in her uterus.
“I had friends who had fibroids taken
out and later had to go back and have
a hysterectomy,” says Jamison, who
has been married 30 years and has a
29-year-old daughter. “I wanted it all
done at once.”
An assistant merchandise manager
at Home Goods on Hilton Head Island
and an active member of Eden Baptist
Church in Bamberg, Jamison opted for
the single-site surgery to get back to
her busy life as quickly as possible.
“Not everyone is a candidate for the
surgery,” Miller says. “It can’t be per-
formed on patients who are excessively
obese, have scarring in the lateral spaces
of the uterus or have a large uterus or
fibroids.” In cases where uterine cancer
is suspected, a different surgical proce-
dure is generally used as well.
Jamison was a healthy weight and
her fibroids were small and centrally
located. The surgery went so well, she
was able to go home the same day.
“I took some pain medicine that night
and the next morning,” Jamison recalls.
“I didn’t take it again after that. I didn’t
have any pain from the surgery.”
And her stomach pains were gone.
“I’m back enjoying walks with
my husband and feeding the ducks
in our pond,” Jamison says. “I feel
wonderful.” n
When Less Is More
Minimally invasive surgery—already the operating room option of choice in hos-
pitals across the country—continues to gain momentum with the development of
new technology and cutting-edge techniques.
At Beaufort Memorial Hospital, surgeons are using the advanced da Vinci Si
Surgical System to perform laparoscopic prostatectomies, offering patients excel-
lent long-term results for prostate cancer. The computer-controlled robot also is
being used for a number of gynecological surgeries and partial nephrectomies, an
organ-sparing procedure for kidney cancer patients.
With the introduction of single-site instrumentation, BMH general surgeons
are now able to remove a patient’s gallbladder through one small incision in the
belly button. Most recently, OB-GYNs began using the specialized instrumentation
to perform single-site hysterectomies.
“The technology is only going to improve,” says OB-GYN Gregory Miller, MD,
one of the first surgeons in the Lowcountry region to perform single-site hysterec-
tomies. “In a couple of years, all of the surgical instruments for single-site surgery
will be wristed, making it possible to perform more complicated procedures.”
APPOINTMENTS
BMH’s Single-Site Surgery Team
Beaufort Memorial’s medical staff includes four physicians trained in single-
site hysterectomies. To make an appointment with Christopher Benson,
MD, Gregory Miller, MD, or Claude Tolbert, MD, of Beaufort Memorial
Obstetrics & Gynecology Specialists, call 843-522-7820. To reach Pat
Thompson, MD, of Gynecology Associates of Beaufort, call 843-524-8151.
SPRING 2015 37

Brantley Harvey remem-
bers. He remembers
when, in 1962, Beaufort
Memorial was just a one-story hospital
that had outgrown its space and how,
as a member of the state House of
Representatives from Beaufort County,
he helped to put together a financial
campaign to add a second story. A
plaque to that effect still hangs across
from the elevators by the hospital’s
surgical suite.
He remembers when his youngest
son, Warren, was born here and very
nearly died within his first week from
juvenile dysentery. At the time, Beaufort
Memorial had only a handful of physi-
cians on staff, and no pediatricians. He
credits Cleve Hutson, MD, and other
local doctors for working with a pedia-
trician from the Naval Hospital to save
his son’s life.
Having been born with a heart mur-
mur, Harvey remembers when Art
Jenkins, MD, determined that he needed
an aortic valve replacement to prevent a
heart attack. He remembers when, many
years later, Ralph Salzer, MD, treated
him aggressively for a MRSA (methi-
cillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus)
infection in his ankle. And he credits
both men with saving his life.
All of which brings him to his salient
point about Beaufort Memorial. “We
are blessed with truly first-class medi-
cal treatment here, treatment that is
available when and where we need it
and available to everyone, regardless
of ability to pay,” he says. To preserve
and protect the hospital in its mission to
improve the health of our community,
Harvey has become a champion of the
BMH Foundation, generously supporting
it and urging others to do the same.
“We’ve got to support our local hos-
pital,” he emphasizes. His experience
as a state legislator and as lieutenant
governor instilled in him the belief that
the hospital, like most public services,
cannot possibly be self-sustaining with-
out community support. “People have
the mistaken impression that the county
supports the county hospital with tax
dollars, but that just isn’t the case,”
he says.
In fact, BMH receives no state or
county support. As a not-for-profit
hospital, it reinvests any net revenue
in services and infrastructure to help
ensure provision of the best patient care
with the most advanced technology.
BrantleyHarvey
rememBers
A lifelong Beaufortonian makes a convincing case
for support of his community hospital
Foundation-Building
With more than $20 million spent by the
hospital each year on charity and indigent
care, patient revenue alone can’t provide
everything that Beaufort Memorial needs to
stay cutting-edge in equipment and training.
That’s where the BMH Foundation comes in.
GIVE
Support
the BMH
Foundation
To find out how you can
support the Foundation,
visit bmhsc.org/
bmh-foundation.
SPRING 201538

But with more than $20 million spent
by the hospital each year on charity and
indigent care, patient revenue alone
can’t provide everything that Beaufort
Memorial needs to stay cutting-edge in
equipment and training. That’s where
the BMH Foundation comes in.
Over the years, Harvey has seen the
hospital grow from that first hand-
ful of physicians who treated his infant
son to a staff of over 1,600 employ-
ees, including nearly 200 physicians
and 450 nurses. He’s seen the hospital
expand its services to multiple locations
and add interventional cardiology, com-
prehensive cancer care and a Level II
nursery. And he’s seen the hospital take
“We are blessed with truly first-class medical
treatment here, treatment that is available
when and where we need it and available
to everyone, regardless of ability to pay.”
—Brantley Harvey
new approaches to improving the health
of the community with innovative well-
ness, outreach and mobile services.
But he knows Beaufort Memorial
can’t do it alone.
“The hospital couldn’t do all that
it does without funds from the
Brantley and
Alice Harvey at
Marshlands
Foundation,” Harvey says. He and his
wife, Alice, have become active support-
ers of and advocates for the hospital—
and they hope that many more in their
community will recognize the value of
Beaufort Memorial Hospital and join
them in that support and advocacy. n
SPRING 2015 39

FOUNDATION-BUILDING
At its annual meeting in November, the BMH Foundation elected Chris Assaf to its board of
trustees. Upon graduation from college, Chris joined the textile firm Milliken and Company as
an industrial engineer and advanced to the position of Southeast regional sales manager. After
marrying her husband, Rich, she became the sales manager for the CBS affiliate in Columbus,
Ga., and later launched Advantage Marketing, an advertising agency. Chris developed advertis-
ing and public relations campaigns for a number of companies before her retirement from
the agency in 2004. As a founding co-chair of the successful Fripp for a Cure, she has helped
to raise nearly $200,000 for the Keyserling Cancer Center over the last five years.
Liz Malinowski and Sherry Hirsch were thanked for their board service of nine and four
years, respectively.
Foundation officers elected for the coming year are Bill Harvey, chair; Hugh Gouldthorpe,
vice chair; Arthur Levin, secretary; and Paul Mannheim, treasurer.
Chris AssafChris Assaf
BMH FOUNDATION
BOARD UPDATES
ANOTHER
SUCCESSFUL
VALENTINE
BALL IS ON
THE WAY!
The Beaufort Memorial Hospital
Foundation’s 26th
Valentine Ball will be
tremendous fun! A special thank-you to
our co-chairs, Dr. and Mrs. Andy Beall and
Dr. and Mrs. D.J. Christian, and to the host
of volunteers who have done so much
to make “Winter Garden” a sparkling
success. Since its inception in 1990, the
Valentine Ball has raised over $4.4 million
for Beaufort Memorial. Proceeds from
this year’s event are expected to exceed
$200,000. They will go toward the much-
needed expansion of the hospital’s inten-
sive care unit.
For great photos of the evening, please
visit valentineball.org.
SPRING 201540

THISJUSTINGOOD-FOR-YOU NEWS, CUES AND REVIEWS
APP
Slot Those Shots
Find it hard to keep up with
child and adult immunization
schedules? Download the CDC
Vaccine Schedules app, which
updates with new guidelines
automatically, at cdc.gov/
vaccines.
MAINPHOTOBYGETTY/JESSICAPETERSON;DOGPHOTOBYTHINKSTOCK
BAD DOG
See Spot run. See Spot jump. See
Spot let you get a good night’s
sleep. Two out of three ain’t bad.
While dogs may encourage
healthy activities such as walking,
they may also be wrecking your
sleep at night. Ten percent of sleep
center patients reported sleep
disruption caused by pets—up
from 1 percent in 2002, a recent
study shows.
Top pet disturbances are
snoring, whimpering, wander-
ing, whining to go outside and
medical needs.
FEMININE
FATALE?
There’s no fury like a woman scorned. And her blood pressure?
Oy vey.
Negative social interactions may cause more than just a “talk
to the hand” type of tension, according to a study in Health
Psychology. They may also cause hypertension, commonly known
as high blood pressure.
In the study, women ages 51 to 64 who reported having too
many demands placed on them or being criticized, disappointed
or aggravated with others were more likely to develop high blood
pressure. The dynamic did not hold true for women 65 and older
or men.
This Mother’s Day, you might ask the kids to swap the ﬂowers
for a home blood pressure monitor.
SPRING 2015 41

THISJUSTINGood-for-you news, cues and reviews
Shady
NumberS
Spring kick-starts months of gardening
and outdoor runs. And while popping
a baseball cap on your noggin offers a
bit of protection from the sun, it’s not
helping as much as you might hope.
A recent article in the Journal of the
American Academy of Dermatology exam-
ines the actual sun-protection factor of
common shade devices.
3Shade umbrella: SPF 4
3Wide-brimmed hat: SPF 2 for the
chin; SPF 7 for the nose
3NarroW-brimmed hat: SPF 1.5
for the nose; minimal to no protection
elsewhere
3makeup fouNdatioN Without
SuNScreeN: SPF 2 to 6
3treeS: SPF 4 to more than 50,
depending on density of leaves
Bottom line: Even shade-seekers need
to commit to sunscreen. Most experts
recommend broad-spectrum SPF 30.
website
how clean is
Your air?
visit stateoftheair.org
to see whether your city
ranks among the most
polluted or the cleanest
cities in america based
on ozone and particle
pollution.
PhotoBygEtty/thEiMAgEBAnk
Answer: OrAnge juice.
A 1-cup serving of oJ has more vitamin c,
nearly double the potassium and 2 grams less
sugar than apple juice, according to the USdA
national nutrient database. For the healthiest
choice, eat a whole orange or apple for more
fiber and less sugar.
Orange Juice
Vs. apple Juice
which drink is healthier?
SPRING 201542

SMOKE-FREE
FACTS
20MINUTES
after quitting:
Heart rate and
blood pres-
sure drop.
2WEEKS
to 3 months:
Lung func-
tion increases.
CLEANINGPHOTOBYGETTY/BLENDIMAGES;VIDEOGAMEIMAGEBYTHINKSTOCK
TRUEORFALSE
Video games may cause osteoarthritis.
TRUE As if violence, antisocial behavior, fatigue and even
seizures from flashing lights in video games weren’t scary
enough, it appears we can add osteoarthritis to the list of
risks of playing video games.
Excessive gaming may lead to osteoarthritis, particularly in
boys, a recent study shows. One reason? The weight
of and the button placement on game controllers
were designed for adult use, thus a child’s
developing joint structure
may be damaged by the
overuse of joints.
SPRING-
CLEANING
If you know a young mom who’s the queen of
clean, let her know—gently—that she might be
creating a royal mess.
A home that’s too clean may leave infants
vulnerable to a higher incidence of allergies or
asthma later in life, recent research suggests.
The findings support the idea that squeaky-clean
surroundings don’t allow the body to develop
the ability to fight off allergens.
So, while spring-cleaning may be good for the
soul, it also turns out that a little dirt won’t hurt.
1YEAR:
Additional risk
of heart disease
is half that of
a smoker.
2TO
5YEARS:
Stroke risk can
fall to that of
a nonsmoker.
Source: American
Cancer Society
SPRING 2015 43
FdVVSP1500_41-43_ThisJustIn_rev.indd 43 10/20/14 1:12 PM
BREAKING
GOOD
All work and no play makes
Jack a dull boy—literally.
Creativity takes a hit, as do
productivity and alertness,
when you eat lunch at your
desk or blow off breaks at
work. In fact, studies show
that workers who remain
sedentary throughout the day
are impairing their health.
Try these tips:
3Have walking meetings.
3Do simple, regular stretches
or squats in your office
or cubicle.
3Use the restroom on a
different floor, and take
the stairs to get there.
website
Get on It!
Need a daily dose of
motivation to stay
healthy? Check out
Beaufort Memorial’s
“Health Tip of the
Day.” You’ll find it at
beaufortmemorial.
org/livingwell.

photobygetty/e+
The TruTh By Stephanie R. ConneR
A tickle in your nose. An itch
in your throat. A cough here,
a sneeze there. Sore, red,
watery eyes. you know the signs. It’s
allergy season.
but seasonal allergies are more than
just an annual nuisance. they occur
when exposure to allergens causes your
immune system to overreact and produce
symptoms ranging from minor (a runny
nose) to major (wheezing and shortness
of breath). think you know your seasonal
allergies? Read on to find out.
Trueorfalse:
Allergies last for life.
FAlse. “that is a common miscon-
ception,” explains Janna tuck, MD, a
spokeswoman for the American College
of Allergy, Asthma Immunology. “but
allergies do come and go.”
Allergies tend to first appear in child-
hood, she says. In that case, don’t expect
spring is in
the air—and
if you have
allergies,
you’re not
excited.
The TruTh
AbouT
Allergies
Ah, spring. The season of new
grass, flowering trees—and
watery eyes. Learning fact from
fiction about seasonal allergies
can help relieve the misery.
SPRING 201544

to outgrow them. Conversely, you might
not even experience allergies until you’re
an adult, depending on when you’re first
exposed to certain allergens.
but, as tuck notes, allergies are more
related to genetics and environment
than age.
you have a 70 percent chance of hav-
ing allergies if both your parents have
allergies, according to the Asthma and
Allergy Foundation of America. but since
you can’t change your genetic code, the
better option is to find out what you’re
allergic to.
then, you can find ways to alter your
environment or discuss treatment options
with your doctor.
TRUEORFALSE:
Allergies occur only in spring.
FAlse. there’s not any one season
for allergies.
In spring, people have to contend
with pollen, a common allergen. but
for people allergic to grass, summer is
prime allergy season. Meanwhile, fall
brings ragweed, and winter’s dampness
can trigger mold allergies. Depending
on your immune system, you could be
affected by allergies for one season—
or all year.
TRUEORFALSE:
eating local honey helps
prevent allergies.
FAlse. Some experts say the theory
behind this form of immunotherapy is
sound—the idea being that the honey
contains small amounts of local pollen,
which can help the body become less
sensitive to it.
“but there’s no scientific proof that
eating local honey does anything,”
tuck says.
one reason, experts say, could be that
the pollen that triggers allergies isn’t the
same kind of pollen bees carry.
TRUEORFALSE:
Moving to the desert can
alleviate allergies.
True—And FAlse. If you’re aller-
gic to pollen, you’ll be allergic to pollen
anywhere. but if you move to the desert,
where there’s less of the stuff in the air,
you’ll likely experience an improvement
in symptoms.
but beware, tuck says. the desert is
not an allergen-free environment, and
you can find you’re allergic to something
in the desert air, too.
TRUEORFALSE:
lifestyle changes can
relieve allergies.
True. Start with environmental
changes. Staying inside on high-pollen-
count days and keeping doors and win-
dows closed can make a huge difference.
A number of effective medication options
are also available, tuck says. And allergen
immunotherapy, also known as allergy
shots, can work as a long-term solution,
gradually allowing your body to develop a
tolerance to the allergen.
“For the most part, allergies and asthma
aren’t life-threatening, but they do affect
how people enjoy their lives,” she adds.
“good control of your symptoms can
really make a difference in how you feel.” n
SPRING 2015 45
Can allergies Kill?
A food allergy can be deadly, but sea-
sonal allergies are often accepted as
just a nuisance. After all, they aren’t
dangerous, right?
Not so fast, says Janna tuck, MD,
a spokeswoman for the American
College of Allergy, Asthma
Immunology.
Allergies are closely associated
with asthma, which can vary in its
severity, including cutting off airways.
“If it’s not controlled, asthma can
become quite severe,” tuck says.
“And severe asthma is a very dan-
gerous disease process that can be
life-threatening.”
In fact, the Asthma and Allergy
Foundation of America reports that
more than 3,300 people die from
asthma annually and that many of
these deaths are avoidable with
appropriate treatment.
So, don’t simply ignore or accept
allergies. talk to an allergist to better
understand your triggers and what
you can do about them.
VIDEO
Asthma, explained
Most people know that asthma
impairs breathing. But that’s
not all. This video from the
American Lung Association
explains the condition. Visit
lung.org/assets/video/what-
is-asthma.swf.

HEALTHY BUYS BY ALISSA M. EDWARDS
GOLDENGIFTSOur top gift picks for the stylish and savvy seniors in your life
Bette Davis famously once said, “Old age ain’t no place for sissies,”
and she was right—just ask anyone older than 65. Though aging
comes with challenges, gifts for the older set don’t have to look as if they
came from a medical supply shop. Today’s stylish and savvy seniors deserve
better. We share our top gift picks for the mature folks in your life. I
CONAIRTOUCHCONTROL
LIGHTEDROUNDMIRRORIN
POLISHEDCHROME,$50
Where: conair.com
Why: With 1x or 7x magniﬁca-
tion, this stylish vanity mirror
has fog- and glare-free viewing
and three levels of lighting to
make applying makeup or
shaving easier.
PUZHENYUNFIVE-SENSEAROMA
DIFFUSER,$369
Where: puzhen.com
Why: Leaving candles burning is a dan-
gerous idea for seniors. This attractive,
remote-control-operated essential-oil dif-
fuser plays soothing music for a safer way
to add fragrance and ambience at home.
FULCRUM12-LEDLANTERNA
TOUCHLAMPINBRUSHED
SILVER,$30
Where: Various online retailers
Why: This contemporary, cord-
less touch lamp provides diﬀused,
portable light for navigating the
dark. Great as a table lamp that
can be used for nighttime trips
to the bathroom. Also available
in brushed copper.
SPRING 201546

GEMSTONEANDPEARLEYEGLASS
NECKLACE,$125
Where: strandsjewelry.com
Why: Misplacing glasses is a common
problem. This pretty 22-inch-long eye-
glass necklace is an attractive way to
keep them close and can be adjusted
to wear as a bracelet.
TEMPUR-PEDICCLOUD
MOC,$59
Where: tempurpedic.com
Why: With patented
TEMPUR insoles, a soft
ﬂeece lining and a nonslip,
durable sole, these slip-
pers can be worn indoors
or out.
HOMEDICSJETSPAELITE
FOOTBATHWITHHEAT,$40
Where: homedics.com
Why: Massaging bubbles
target the heels, arches
and toes to rejuvenate
tired feet while a toe-touch
control and spinning pedi-
cure center cleans, exfoli-
ates or massages with no
bending required.
TOESOXHALF-TOEBELLA
GRIPSOCKS,$16
Where: toesox.com
Why: Go one better than
barefoot. These colorful
socks feature exposed toes to
improve balance and patented
grippers to reduce the chance
of slipping at home.
SPRING 2015 47

HEALTHY BUYS
AMEFACURVEDERGONOMIC
DININGUTENSILSSET,$50
Where: elderluxe.com
Why: Thoughtfully designed
lightweight utensils with thick,
ergonomic handles and special
curves make dining easier for
those with arthritis and who
have a limited range of motion
in their hands or wrists.
UNGERNIFTYNABBERPLUS,$20
Where: Various online retailers
Why: This handy 36-inch pickup tool
can snatch up objects as light as a penny
or as heavy as 8 pounds to help seniors
avoid painful bending or dangerous
climbing to get what they need.
LEVOG2DELUXESTAND,$190
Where: bookholder.com
Why: This adjustable stand
lets seniors use a tablet, book
(with optional accessory) or
e-reader hands-free, bring-
ing it as close or far away as
needed for a comfortable
reading experience.
OXO15-PIECEEVERYDAY
KITCHENTOOLSET,$100
Where: oxo.com
Why: This set features soft,
easy-grip handles to avoid slips
and a large capacity holder
for keeping kitchen essentials
within arm’s reach.
SPRING 201548

Beaufort Memorial Hospital Living Well- Spring 2015

Beaufort Memorial Hospital Living Well- Spring 2015

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