Midmorning With Aundrea - March 12, 2020 (Part 2)

(Part 2 of 2) We take a look at a foster home program for aging veterans.

And professors of Johns Hopkins University have devised a new calendar that eliminates the necessity for leap years every four years.

On mid morningaf after their time in the military, some veterans might not have the support they need.

As they get older and can't take care of themselves, they turn to nursing homes.

But the va started a foster care program to give veterans a home- like atmosphere.

They want the veterans to feel comfortable and not feel stuck.

Some just need a little supervision, but it doesn't mean they can't still live their lives.

For three veterans, the past few years has given them that chance.

0320-pkg it's lunchtime in the salmons home.

Cynthia salmons and her cousin letting their boys know it's time to eat.

But their boys aren't who you might expect.

Cynthia salmons- caregiver-"it's lot to have what you say strangers, but they aren't strangers long.

In no-time they become family."

The trio has been a part of the foster care program for years.

It started with salmons mother.

Cynthia salmons- caregiver-"m grandfather and my uncles were military.

So she said they served, now i can pay back for their service."

After she passed away last year, salmons swore to take care of them.

Cynthia salmons- caregiver-"th gentlemen are not incapable of taking care of themselves, they just need some help.

I call it a bed and breakfast for veterans because i make sure their meds and meals are taken care of."

The men can still have their sense of independence.

Jerry smedley- army veteran- "you're free t come and go as you like you're not anchored down here."

87 year old gerald hagie has his job.

Gerald hagie- army veteran-"but no that it's drying up so i can start sweeping up some more of the leaves."

Cynthia salmons- caregiver-"he's lik my little buddy.

To know he is safe and has a place.

When you are dealing with alzheimer's and dementia they get to the point where they don't know where he's at."

Providing nurses, social workers, and psychologists, coordinator renee lewis says it's about their quality of life.

Renee lewis- medical foster home coordinator- "they are no sitting in their room all by themselves.

They come out, have meals together, they go do activities together with the family."

His home for four years, jerry smedley wishes other veterans would know about the program.

Jerry smedley- army veteran-" lot of time veterans don't think that nobody cares about them well this is living proof that they do" having cynthia to help monitor their medicine and make sure they eat... jerry smedley- army veteran-"i'v already set it to her but thank you cindy, you mean a heaven sent to me.

0320-tag to get into the programs veterans must be enrolled in the va healthcare system.

The va is looking for other caretakers.

So they encourage others if they want to give a home to someone, to try.

A school yearbook... a graduation gown... a college application.

All the things that an average kid needs.

But they're out of bounds for many children in foster families, who simply can not afford them.

As alicia pattillo reports from last vegas - that's where a non-profit started by four girls comes in.

Zoe arbour, co- founder, "kid uplifting kidz" "i've always jus loved helping people."

Last year four girls had an idea to help children in the clark county foster care system.

Channah arbour, co-founder, "kid uplifting kidz" "i had anothe service project which was giving bags to the homeless and what i found out when i was doing that is that a lot of foster kids actually end up homeless and i raised $30,000 from that and i had $16,000 left over."

Together, they created "kid uplifting kidz," non-profit organization on a mission to create a different life for foster youth.

David tatlock, vice president, "kid uplifting kidz" "a lot of times th normal cost of being a kid, the state doesn't cover that, so if they want a yearbook, go to prom if they want to play football, if they want to take music lessons, they need a ride home, class ring, gown for graduation, apply for college.

None of those costs are covered and often times foster families are over- burdened financially, they can't come up with all those costs.

So, that's a big focus of our foundation is to help raise money for the cost of normalcy."

Their cause catching the attention of clark county family services.

Tim burch, clark co.

Human services administrator: "this is 'gen z generation of teenagers, they are taking their desire to help people to the streets."

And the valley needs the help.

Tim burch, clark co.

Human services administrator: "we have abou 3,500 kids on any given day that are in foster care in our community."

While their journey to change the culture in the foster care system is just beginning, their advice to others who aspire to join in the fight is this.

Hannah ohel, co- founder, "kid uplifting kidz" "no one is to young to start anything, to start making a change.

If you believe in it, keep going, don't give up!"

A timely story when mid morning returns.

If if you think leap year is confusing, just wait until you see this story from cgs's jefrf glor.

Since the beginning, humankind has been obsessed with tracking time.

And nearly every civilization has tried to squeeze that time into an accurate calendar.

But for thousands of years, we were missing one crucial element: "time keeps o slipping&" the leap year.

Jackie faherty: i think that time is very confusing sometimes when you have to think about it.

Jackie faherty is an astrophysicist at the hayden planetarium in new york city.

Jeff glor: when people think about the day, february 29th, what should they be thinking?

Jackie faherty: we're placing a human construct around what is an astronomical phenomenon, of the earth moving around the sun.

So it's kind of a celebration of the fact that we'd really like to be better time keepers, and we haven't quite figured out how to do it quite correctly yet.

The calendar we use includes leap years because of how long it really takes the earth to orbit the sun - which is not 365 days.

It's about 365 and a quarter.

The julian calendar in 46 bc was the first to add a leap day every four years - but it still wasn't quite right.

That led to the gregorian calendar, which set the leap year pattern we've used since the 16th century.

But some think it's high time for another big change.

Jeff glor: you guys have been working on this calendar for how long?

Dick henry: decades jeff glor: and so far?

Dick henry: nada enter dick henry and steve hanke, professors at johns hopkins university, and the biggest current backers of a brand new calendar.

One that áeliminatesá leap years, and also standardizes the days and weeks to always be the same each year.

Steve hanke: january 1 is always on a monday - forever.

Jeff glor: forever?

Steve hanke: forever.

In addition to starting every year on a monday, the hanke-henry permanent calendar would also set your birthday and the holidays to the same day of the week every year, except halloween, which along with all friday the 13th's, would vanish.

In place of leap years, every 5 or 6 years, an extra week is inserted at the end of december.

Sort of an extended christmas vacation.

Jeff glor: there's no such thing as a perfect calendar.

You just think this is better than what we have now?

Steve hanke: ours is very close to perfect.// dick henry: we have a current calendar, every year, the thing jerks around by a day or two.

// and think how many people around the world and sports schedules and all these things that jump and jerk and jerk around.

Jeff glor: but-- but aren't quirks and-- and eccentricities part of the human existence?

Dick henry: we could make things worse and then you'd be happier.

Jackie faherty: that's a big disruption to modern day life.

// calendar changes, people i think are resistant to because of what it means from the infrastructure of how we all live our lives.

The earth doesn't really care what day you call it.

It knows where it is.

It's going around the sun doing the thing it always does.

And i really just wanna know where is the earth in reference to the sun right now.

Jeff glor, cbs news, new york.

Things up.

That and more on the next midmorning.