Mountain Views News          Saturday, May 14, 2011

14

THE 

THE GOOD LIFE

 Mountain Views-News Saturday, May 14, 2011 

SENIOR HAPPENINGS

YOUR HEALTH MATTERS

Today’s Subject: 

Recipe of the Week:

Activities: 

Unless listed differently, all activities are at the 
Hart Memorial Park (Senior Center) 222 W. Sierra 
Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre

COURAGE

CRUNCHY ASIAN 
CHICKEN SALAD

Lunch Program: Monday- Friday at the 
Intervale Café -12:00 Noon-Call (626) 355-
0256 to make your daily reservation. Suggested 
donation $2.00 for seniors (60+) and $3.75 for 
visitors.

MENU BELOW

Monday: 

• 12 noon: Intervale Lunch Café: Come enjoy 
a hot meal with others. Donation for seniors 
(60+) of $2.00; visitors $3.75. Please call 355-
0256 to make your daily reservation. 

• 1:00 pm to 1:45 pm: Strength training with 
Lisa Brandley. FREE class of stretching with 
light hand weights while you sit. 

Tuesday: 

• 2nd Tuesday of each month FREE blood 
pressure checks by Methodist Hospital; 11 am 
to 12 noon 

• 12 noon: Intervale Lunch Café; daily 
reservations needed 355-0256 

• 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm: BINGO; cards are only 25 
cents each so stop by & play 

• 5:30 pm to 7 pm: Yoga; $7.00 - 50 & over. 
Please call 355-5278 for more information 

Wednesday: 

• 11 –11:45 am: Balance Class with Teryl. FREE 
class designed to improve balance & refresh the 
joints 

• 12 noon: Intervale Lunch Café; daily 
reservations needed 355-0256 

• Free Income Tax assistance - 1 pm to 2 pm. 
For an appointment, please call 355-7394 

• 2nd Wednesday of the month: FREE Legal 
Consultations: 10-11:30 am. Appointments call 
355-7394 

• Wii Wednesday - 1:00 pm or call the senior 
desk at 355-7394 to arrange another time & day 
to learn how to play. No previous experience or 
skills required and it is great exercise. 

Thursday: 

• 12 noon: Intervale Lunch Café; daily 
reservations needed 355-0256 

• 1:00 to 3:30 pm: Game Day. Join us for Poker 
with Bridge on the 2nd & 4th Thursdays; so 
please call for more information. 

• 5:00 pm to 6:30 pm: Yoga; $7.00 - 50 & over. 
Please call 355-52 

Friday: City Hall Closed on April 8th & 22nd

12 noon: Intervale Lunch Café; daily 
reservations needed 355-0256 

Saturday: 

11:30 am: Senior Club brown bag lunch and 
BINGO at 12:30 pm. The Senior Club always 
welcomes new members ($5 membership dues 
per year) so please stop by to learn more.

 
I recently had the opportunity to help 
facilitate a workshop at the Providence 
Regional Cancer Partnership in Everett, 
Washington. May daughter-in-law, Jessica, 
is an intern in the art therapy program at 
Antioch College in Seattle and is assigned 
to a group at the center. Jess was familiar 
with the various gatherings that we have 
created in our clinic in Sierra Madre and 
wondered if it would be possible to put 
together a life mask workshop for the 
cancer group. Sure ‘nuff, I soon found 
myself standing in the center’s conference 
room with twenty attentive faces turned 
toward me.

The Role of Art in Healing

 Numerous clinical trials support the 
idea that creativity is a powerful factor 
in the maintenance of health. In the 
treatment of cancer, it has been used in a 
number of different ways to lift spirits by 
bringing people together. The overall effect of community has physical as well as mental/
emotional healing value. In the process of creating something, the patient is transported 
to a state of awareness which is less focused on the difficult realities of his or her condition. 
Survival rates and the quality of life both improve.

The Human Factor

 Initially, I was prepared for a room full of depressed people with very little to show up for. 
Instead, it was quite the opposite. If anything, it was hard to get them to stop wisecracking 
and listen to the intro. As they went around the room and updated each other on the latest 
news, there was a common thread of support, connection and empathy.

 The life mask process can be a little messy, both physically and emotionally. A little 
vaseline along the hairline, eyebrows and eyelashes is most important, avoiding impromptu 
and inadvertent waxings. Covering the face and eyes, nose and mouth causes some people to 
become anxious (yes, we do leave nostril openings!) It calls for cooperation, a gentle hand, 
and a lot of trust.

 At the end of the workshop, there was a table full of masks all depicting the unique 
features of their owners. At next week’s gathering, they will be painted, beaded, spangled, 
decoupaged, sprinkled, emblazoned, engraved and who knows-knows-what by a bunch of 
folks that know well what we all much come to know in time. As I witnessed these people, 
Stephen Levin’s book, A Year to Live, came to mind. The following is from this wonderful 
book:

 “May all beings live with death over their left shoulder and kindness in the center of their 
heart.

 “May all beings be free of suffering. May all beings know the great good fortune of their 
great nature.

 “May all beings be at peace.”

 Have a healthy week! ~Dr. John

INGREDIENTS: 

Salad: 

1 1/2 cups finely diced cooked chicken meat (6 
ounces, about 1 1/2 breast halves) 

6 canned peeled water chestnuts, rinsed and 
chopped 

1 carrot, peeled and shredded 

1 small celery rib, finely diced 

1/2 cup diced apple, such as Gala or Golden 
Delicious (about 1/2 apple) 

Sauce: 

1 tablespoon natural peanut butter or sesame 
tahini 

1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar 

3/4 tablespoon soy sauce 

2 tablespoons mayonnaise 

1 tablespoon minced fresh chives (optional) 

1/4 cup roasted soy nuts or coarsely chopped 
unsalted peanuts 

1 teaspoon hot sesame oil (optional) 

Dr. John Talevich, D.C. has practiced in Sierra Madre 
for thirty years. His clinic, LifeWorks! Chiropractic, 
offers patient-specific approaches to the alleviation of 
pain and individually tailored wellness programs. 

DIRECTIONS:

Combine the chicken, water chestnuts, 

carrot, celery and apple in a bowl and stir to mix. 

Whisk together the peanut butter, vinegar and 
soy sauce until smooth. Whisk in the mayonnaise 
and chives, if using, spoon the dressing 
over the salad, and mix well. Sprinkle with soy 
nuts just before serving. 

May Birthdays

Juanita Loera, JoAnn Serrato-Chi, Barbara 
Soulanille, Joanne Anthony, Carole Axline, 
Kika Downey, Shirley Hall, Dorothy 
Murphy, Annie Scalzo, Janet Ten Eyck, Jayne 
Thomas,


Meals-On-Wheels


Meals are delivered to home-bound 
seniors by volunteer drivers through the 
YWCA Intervale Lunch Program M-F 
(with frozen meals for the weekend.) Call the YWCA 
at (626) 214-9460 or Darlene Traxler at (626) 355-
0256 for more information.

EXCURSIONS

SATURDAY, MAY 7th— The Ramona 
Pageant. Join us as we take a deluxe coach 
bus to Hemet to see one of the nation’s 
longest running outdoor dramas (88 years 
old) - 10:30 am to 7 pm

Cost per person is $53 - which includes 
transportation, driver’s tip, lower level 
seats, a BBQ lunch, a souvenir program 
and a comfy seat cushion. This is an outdoor 
venue so you are encouraged to dress 
inlayers, wear comfortable walking shoes 
and to wear a shade hat. limited to the 
first 20 people so please register as soon as 
possible.

PLEASE NOTE: The pick-up location for 
this excursion will be the Sierra Madre 
Recreation Center, 611 E. Sierra Madre 
Blvd., due to a special event at Memorial 
Park on this day.

To register for the excursion, please visit 
the Senior Center or go online to www.
cityofsierramadre.com/onlineregistration.

Save the Date: FRIDAY, JULY 8th —The 
Pageant of the Masters - Laguna Beach. 
Registration will open online and at the Senior 
Center starting May 1st

MEALS-ON-WHEELS NEEDS VOLUNTEERS 
TO DELIVER MEALS TO OUR HOMEBOUND 
NEIGHBORS 

**ONCE A MONTH OR WEEKLY** 

Please contact Darlene Traxler at 

626.355.6220 or (626) 355-0256.

John M. Talevich, D.C. 

CHIROPRACTIC: Simple, Elegant, Effective

31 S. Baldwin Avenue Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024

626-355-4710


CONNECTING TO OLDER AMERICANS 

Older Americans Month is an occasion to show appreciation and support for our seniors 
as they continue to enrich and strengthen our communities. This May, the theme — Older 
Americans: Connecting the Community — pays homage to the many ways in which older 
adults bring inspiration and continuity to the fabric of our communities and highlights how 
technology is helping older Americans live longer, healthier, and more engaged lives.

Social Security uses technology to make dealing with Social Security easier for seniors. We 
offer a variety of services at www.socialsecurity.gov. Just look at the “top services” column to 
the left of the page to see the wide range of services that technology allows us to offer online.

Social Security has a special relationship with American seniors since we pay benefits, at 
one time or another, to just about every one of them. Nine out of ten Americans aged 65 or 
older receive Social Security benefits. 

Here are some more statistics to consider. Among older Social Security beneficiaries, 52 
percent of married couples and 72 percent of unmarried persons receive half or more 
of their income from Social Security. Older Americans are a growing group, too. Life 
expectancy continues to rise, and by 2035, it’s estimated that there will be twice as many 
older Americans as there are today.

Older Americans, as well as people who don’t expect to retire anytime soon, who use Social 
Security’s website give it consistently high customer satisfaction ratings. Right now you 
can get an estimate of your future retirement benefits, plan your retirement, even apply for 
retirement benefits right over our website. Visit us online at www.socialsecurity.gov.

Learn more about what you can do to celebrate Older Americans Month by visiting the 
organization’s website. www.olderamericansmonth.org


Sponsor Bingo Prize

Pasadena Highlands, an independent 
and assisted living community, 
is proud to provide a special gift 
basket on the first Tuesday of each 
month. Accredited In-Home nursing 
care will provide a special prize 
on the 4th Tuesday of each month. 
Bingo takes place every Tuesday at 
1:30 pm in the Hart Park House / 
Senior Center in Memorial Park. 
The game begins at 1:30 pm but 
those wishing to play must arrive 
10 minutes before to secure your 
Bingo cards. Join us on the 1st & 
4th Tuesday of each month for your 
chance to win these special prizes. 

LUNCH & LEARN 

Join the Senior Community Commission at the 

Sierra Madre Hart Park House / Senior Center for a 
FREE presentation. Lunch is available for a $2 

donation by calling (626) 355-0256 by 12 noon the 
day before. 

DIAL - A - RIDE TICKETS

Tickets can now be purchased at:

Sierra Madre City Hall

Hart Park House / 

Senior Center

Sierra Madre Library

MEDITATION FOR RELAXATION, 

CLEAR MIND AND KIND HEART

Description: The purpose of meditation is to make our mind calm and peaceful. If our mind 
is peaceful, we will be free from worries and mental discomfort and experience true happiness 
and relaxation. These classes provide an opportunity to learn how to meditate and how to use 
our experience of meditation to positively affect all aspects of our daily life.

Join at any Time & Everyone welcome! Cost: $10

-------

Thursday Evenings 7-8 pm

9 Weeks: May 5 - June 30 

Center for Wellbeing

31 W. Sierra Madre Blvd.

Sierra Madre, CA 91024

 

Dunsmore Park

(first building to the left as you pull into the parking lot)

4700 Dunsmore Ave.

La Crescenta, CA 91214

 ---------

Sundays morning 10:15-11:15 am

8 weeks: May 1 - 22, June 5 – 26 (No class on May 29th)

 Brand Park: Whispering Pine Teahouse

1601 West Mountain Street

Glendale, CA 91201

(upper parking lot in Brand Park)

 ------

Monday Evenings 7-8 pm

 8 Weeks: May 2, 9, 16, 23, June 6, 13, 20, 27 (No class on May 30th)

Neighborhood Unitarian Universalist Church

301 N. Orange Grove Blvd

Pasadena, CA 91103