Mountain Views News          Saturday, August 27, 2011

16

THE GOOD LIFE

Mountain Views-News Saturday, August 27, 2011 

SENIOR HAPPENINGS

YOUR HEALTH MATTERS

Today’s Subject: 

HIIGH TIME

RECIPES OF THE WEEK

AUGUST 2011 - 
MONTHLY ACTIVITIES

RANCH CHICKEN & BACON PASTA SALAD 
- A GREAT HOT WEATHER RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

1 c. mayonnaise (lowfat or fat-free work just fine for this) 

1 c. Ranch salad dressing 

2 c. veggies of choice (I used peas this time. Tomatoes, 
peppers, olives, green onions and cucumbers, or any 
combination thereof, are also great options.) 

1/2 lb. shredded or diced fully cooked chicken 

1/2 lb. diced and cooked bacon 

1 lb. pasta of your choice, cooked and rinsed with cold water 

1 c. shredded cheese 

Salt and pepper, to taste 

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the mayonnaise and 
Ranch dressing. Add the veggies, chicken and bacon. Stir to 
combine.

2. Add the chilled pasta and toss to coat. Stir in the shredded 
cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

It’s really as simple as that. The mayo/ranch combo mixed 
with the chicken and bacon is a surefire winner no matter what 
else you put with it. Experiment and have fun!

HYDRATING FRUIT PUNCH

INGREDIENTS

2 finger lengths of lemongrass

1 thumbnail-sized piece of skinned ginger

Juice from 2 limes or lemons

1 cup of in-season fruit (Cherries, melon, strawberries, 
blueberries, tart cherries, goji, prickly pear fruit, 
and watermelon are all excellent)

3 cups of water, a pinch of salt

4 mint leaves (optional)

4 - 8 tablespoons sweetener (optional/to taste)

DIRECTIONS

Step 1: Combine all ingredients except the sweetener in a 
blender. Blend on high speed for about a minute.

Step 2: Strain through a hand held strainer (the finer the 
better) or cheesecloth. If adding a sweetener try choosing 
one that is local (about 4 tablespoons). Alternatively, sugar 
or honey work well when pre-blended/dissolved in 1/4 cup 
of warm water and then added to the punch.

Step 3: Pour over ice.

In my first year of practice here in Sierra Madre, 
I was visited by a ninety-year-old man with severe 
low back pain. He said that he’d been to a couple 
of doctors and that they’d told him he would just 
have to live with it. The x-rays revealed that the 
disc between the bottom vertebra and the sacrum 
had virtually disappeared. His difficulty was not 
mystery! 

“You must have been in pain a long time,” I 
offered.

“No,” he said. “I was okay until about six months 
ago.”

“You never had low back pain before?”

“No, I was doing some work on my roof and a 
bundle of shingles started to slide off and I caught 
‘em.”

Along with his low back pain, he had lost two 
of his brothers in the past year and was grieving. I 
told him, “Look, you’ve been pain free all you life. 
Let’s work at getting you back there.” And we did.

Fast forward thirty-some years, as a twenty-one-
year-old college tennis player shows up. Severe 
back pain ended his tennis career two years ago. 
Tried everything, finally gave up, walked the plank, 
and went to see a chiropractor (me). He said he 
was going to the East Coast in a couple of days but 
wanted to see if I could help him.

Two weeks later, he called from Boston asking 
to reschedule on his return. He was pain free, and 
couldn’t believe it. When he showed up at the 
office, he still couldn’t believe it, although he had 
returned to playing flag football at his workplace, 
basketball with friends, and a full workout at the 
gym! I’m still seeing him as he prepares to go to 
law school, and when I look into his eyes, it’s clear 
that he just might be believing it.

In Closing

There isn’t a doctor alive who wants to see a low 
back pain patient come through the door. These 
cases are often complex and resistant to care. That 
said, it’s important not to do more harm than good. 
If there wasn’t some sort of public trance regarding 
chiropractic care, these two patients (thirty years 
apart) would have automatically known where 
to go first. It’s high time we realized it and acted 
accordingly. The smart money and the research 
point the way.

To your healthy week,

Dr. John

Monday: Closed July 4th 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 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 355-5278 for more 
information

Friday: City Hall Closed on June 17, July 1, 15 
& 29

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. Starting July 16 
the Senior Club will meet at the Senior Apartments 
- 70 Esperanza Ave., Sierra Madre 


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. 

August Birthdays

Karlene Englert, Juanita Fernandez, 
Joseph Kiss, Patricia Miranda, Margaret 
Aroyan, Phyllis Bugh, Phyllis Chapman, 
Beverly Clifton, Mary Kay Gifford, Rosemary 
Morabito, Marjorie Peterson,Susan Poulsen, 
Dorothy Quentmeyer, Genevieve Stubbs, 
Wilhelmina “Miep” Tulleners


EXCURSIONS

John M. Talevich, D.C. 

CHIROPRACTIC: Simple, Elegant, Effective

31 S. Baldwin Avenue Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024

626-355-4710

THURSDAY, AUGUST 18TH 

 Exploring Long Beach - Beat the summer

heat by spending the day in Long Beach 
and enjoying lunch on the historic Queen 
Mary - 8:30 am to 4 pm.

 Cost per person is $44 - this includes 

deluxe coach transportation, driver’s tip, 
exploring Long Beach and lunch on the 
Queen Mary.

 Reservation for this excursion will open 
on June 30th either by visiting the

Recreation Center in person or going online 
at

www.cityofsierramadre.com/
onlineregistration

Meals-On-Wheels


Downsizing Solutions

Meals are delivered to home-bound 
seniors by volunteer drivers through 
the YWCA Intervale Lunch Program 
M-F (with frozen meals for the weekend.) 

Meals are delivered to the home-bound seniors 
by drivers through the YWCA Interval Lunch 
Program M-F (with frozen meals for the 
weekend.) 

 

 Call the YWCA at (626) 214-9460 for more 
information. 

Dear Savvy Senior

What tips can you recommend to help seniors 
with downsizing? I have been thinking about 
moving to a retirement community, but in order 
to move I need to get rid of a lot of my stuff. I 
have a four bedroom house as well as an attic 
and basement that are full. Any tips would be 
appreciated.Overwhelmed Senior 

Dear Overwhelmed,

The process of weeding through a house full 
of stuff and parting with old possessions can be 
difficult and overwhelming for many seniors. 
Most people in your situation start the downsizing 
process by giving their unused possessions to 
their kids or grandkids, which you can do up to 
$13,000 per person per year before you’re required 
to file a federal gift tax return, using IRS Form 709. 
Beyond that, here are a few extra tips and services 
that may help you. 

 Downsizing for DollarsSelling your stuff is one 
way you can downsize and pad your pocketbook 
at the same time. If you’re willing, have the time 
and access to the Internet, online selling at sites 
like Craigslist and eBay is the best way to make 
top dollar. Craigslist.org is a huge classified ads 
site that lets you sell your stuff for free. And eBay.
com lets you conduct your own online auction for 
a small listing fee, and if it sells, 9 percent of the 
sale price, up to $100. Or, if you don’t want to do 
the selling yourself you can get help from an eBay 
trading assistant who will do everything for you. 
They typically charge between 33 and 40 percent 
of the selling price. Go to ebaytradingassistant.
com to search for trading assistants in your area.

 Some other popular selling options are 
consignment shops, garage sales and estate sales. 
Consignment shops are good for selling old 
clothing, household furnishings and decorative 
items. You typically get half of the final sale price. 
Garage sales are another option, or you could hire 
an estate sale company to come in and sell your 
items. Some companies will even pick up your 
stuff and sell them at their own location – they 
usually take around 50 percent of the profits. 

 Donate ItIf you itemize on your tax returns, 
donating your belongings is another way to 
downsize and get a tax deduction. Goodwill 
(goodwill.org, 800-741-0186) and the Salvation 
Army (satruck.org, 800-728-7825) are two 
big charitable organizations that will come to 
your house and pick up your donations. If your 
deduction exceeds $500, you’ll need to file Form 
8283, “Noncash Charitable Contributions.” You’ll 
also need a receipt from the organization for 
every batch of items you donate. And be sure you 
keep an itemized list of donated items. See IRS 
Publication 526 (www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p526.
pdf) for more information. 

 Disposal ServicesIf you have a lot of junk 
you want to get rid of, contact your municipal 
trash service to see if they provide bulk curbside 
pickup services. Or, depending on where you live, 
you could hire a company like 1-800-Got-Junk 
(1800gotjunk.com, 800-468-5865) or Junk-King 
(junk-king.com, 800-995-5865) to come in and 
haul it off for a moderate fee. Another good option 
is Bagster by Waste Management (thebagster.
com, 877-789-2247). With this service, you buy 
the bag (it measures 8 feet by 4 feet by 2.5 feet) 
at your local home-improvement store like Lowes 
or Home Depot for around $30. Fill it to a limit 
of 3,300 pounds and schedule a pickup which 
costs between $80 up to $205 depending on your 
location.

 Get HelpYou can also hire a professional 
“senior move manager” to do the entire job for 
you. These are organizers who will sort through 
your stuff and arrange for the disposal through an 
estate sale, donations or consignment. Costs for 
these services usually range between $1,000 and 
$5,000. See nasmm.com or call 877-606-2766 to 
search for a senior move manager in your area. Or, 
you can hire a professional organizer through the 
National Association of Professional Organizers at 
napo.net.

 Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. 
Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.
org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today 
show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.


BLOOD PRESSURE 
SCREENINGS

Methodist Hospital will host 
Senior Blood Pressure Screenings on 
the second Tuesday of each month 
from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at the 
Community Center. Take advantage 
of this free program, which is open to 
all seniors 50 years of age and older. 
High blood pressure does not have 
any symptoms or outward signs and 
can lead to life-threatening conditions 
which can become fatal if left 
undetected. For additional information 
regarding this program, please contact 
the Community Services Department 
at (626) 256-8246.


DIAL - A - RIDE 

TICKETS

Tickets can now be purchased at:

Sierra Madre City Hall

Sierra Madre Recreation Center

Sierra Madre Library

LUNCH & LEARN 

Join the Senior

Community Commission

at the 

Sierra Madre Recreation 
Center

 for a FREE presentation. 
Lunch is available for a 

$2 donation 

Call (626) 355-0256 by 

12 noon the day before. 


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 at the Sierra Madre 
Recreation Center while the Hart Park House 
is under remodeling. 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 

GENTLE YOGA PROGRAM FOR CANCER PATIENTS 

A program of gentle yoga specially designed 
for cancer patients will be given on Saturday 
September 3 2011. Two sessions will be available: 
10.30 a.m. to 11.45 a.m. and 12 noon to 1.15 p,m. 
Both sessions are free of charge. Continuing 
sessions will be offered every Satuday in September. 
The instructor is Robin Munson, registered yoga 
teacher. The program is suitable for those cancer 
patients and recovering cancer patients wanting to 
work extremely gently. Location is the Cancer 
Support Community, 200 East el Mar Blvd., 
Pasadena, Ca 91105, tel 626-796-1083.


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to act in my client’s best interest, not the interests of the insurance 
industry or the medical community. My mission is to find the best 
available coverage for You at the most affordable price.”
John W. Barrett 
626-797-4618333 W. California Blvd. #110, Pasadena, CA 91105CA Lic #0750065HealtH 
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