16
THE GOOD LIFE
Mountain Views News Saturday, March 10, 2012
YOGA IS JUST STRETCHING.
OPEN UP: The 1st Step
SENIOR HAPPENINGS
March Birthdays
Ella Gutman, Santos Ruiz, Viky Tchatlian,
Mary Cooper, Carla Duplex,Terri Elder,
Georgina ‘Snooky’ Greger, Rita Johnson,
Helen Wallis, Dorothy Webster
MARCH ACTIVITIES
Senior Programs have returned to the Hart
Park House enior Center, 222 W. Sierra
Madre Blvd. in Memorial Park - Come by and
see the changes!!
By Rene Quenell,
Proprietor Yoga Madre -
Sierra Madre
Many people tell me that
they can’t do yoga because
they are not flexible. Hmmmm.
How do we GET flexible? Flexibility is not
achieved by force. Flexibility comes from
opening up. And opening up comes from
having enough space to open into.
And it all starts with the mind. Resistance has
many forms. But the mind is the command
center. If the mind is full full full then there
is no space for new ideas. I guess the easy
way to look at it is like the hard drive. There
is only so much space on your computer. We
need to clean house of the old files sometimes
to make space for the new files. Sometimes
we really need to get in there and take a look
at what we are hanging on to and why. Is it
really useful? Maybe we even need a new operating
system!
We are just like this. We need to make space
for new ideas and new ways of doing things.
We need to take a look at some of the beliefs
we carry around and see if they are serving
us. If we can be open to the experience of
taking a look at the ego and how it motivates
us and/or limits us, we really begin to
get places. And boy oh boy, does that ego
show up on the mat. Sometimes, in a great
way! Sometimes - not so much. Learning to
get to know it and use it effectively is, well -
amazing. So make some space in the mind
for new ways of thinking. Make some space
in the heart for new emotions and beliefs.
Make some space in the belly, the hips and
the hamstrings to function more efficiently.
And see what opens up.
Namasté, René
Meals-On-Wheels
MONDAYS: City Hall & Lunch Café
12 noon: Intervale Lunch Café: Come enjoy
a hot meal with others. Donation for seniors
(60+) of $2.00; visitors $3.75. 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.
TUESDAYS:
FREE blood pressure checks by Methodist
Hospital Nurse; 11 am to 12 noon.
1:30 pm to 3:30 pm: BINGO; cards are only 25
cents each so stop by & play
5:15 pm to 6:45 pm: Yoga; $6.00 - 50 & over.
Please call 355-5278 for more information
WEDNESDAYS:
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:
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.
FRIDAY: City Hall closed on Dec. 16, 23 & 30
and Lunch Café closed on Dec. 23
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.
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.
TAX HELP IN CARING
FOR AN AGING PARENT
Dear Savvy Senior:
My wife and I provide a lot of financial support to
my elderly mother and are wondering if any of it
is tax deductible. What can you tell us? Stretched
Thin
Dear Stretched:
There is some tax relief available to adult children
who help look after their aging parents or
other relatives. But in order to be eligible, both
you and your mom will need to meet Uncle Sam’s
criteria. Here’s what you should know.
IRS Eligibility
If you’re helping financially support your elderly
mother, to get a tax deduction you’ll need to
claim her as a dependent on your tax return. For
the 2011 tax year, claiming an additional personal
exemption would reduce your taxable income
by $3,700. But to get this tax break, you’ll need to
pass the IRS’s income and support tests:
Income test: To qualify as a dependent, your
mom’s 2011 gross income must have been less
than $3,700. Her income from Social Security
does not count towards that total, nor do disability
payments. But if your mom receives more
than $3,700 from other sources, such as pension
benefits, interest and dividends from investments,
or withdrawals from retirement savings
plans, you can’t claim her as a dependent.
Support test: In addition to the income test, you
must provide more than half of your mom’s costs
for housing, food, medical care, transportation
and other necessities. Even if all of your mom’s
income is from Social Security, you can’t claim
her as a dependent unless you pay more than half
her living expenses.
It’s also important to note that your mom doesn’t
have to live with you to qualify as a dependent,
as long as she meets the income test and you provide
more than half her financial support. If your
mother lives with you, you can include a percentage
of your mortgage, utilities and other expenses
in calculating how much you contribute
to her support. IRS Publication 501 (see www.
irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p501.pdf) has a worksheet
that can help you with this. To receive this, or
other IRS publications or forms via mail, call
800-829-3676.
Shared Support:
If you share the financial responsibility for your
mom with other siblings, you may be eligible
for the IRS multiple-support declaration. Here’s
how this works. If one sibling is providing more
than half the parent’s financial support, only that
sibling can claim the parent. But if each sibling
provides less than 50 percent support, but their
combined assistance exceeds half the parent’s
support. In that case, any sibling who provides
more than 10 percent can claim the parent as a
dependent. But only one sibling can claim the tax
break in any given year. Siblings can rotate the
tax break, with one claiming the parent one year,
and another the next. The sibling who claims the
parent as a dependent will need to fill out IRS
Form 2120 (www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f2120.pdf)
and file it with his or her tax return.
Medical Deductions:
If you can’t claim your mom as a dependent,
you may still get a tax break for helping pay her
medical costs. The IRS lets taxpayers deduct
money spent on a parent’s health care and qualified
long-term care services, even if the parent
doesn’t qualify as a dependent.
To claim this deduction, you still must provide
more than half your mom’s support, but your
mom doesn’t have to meet the income test. And
the deduction is limited to medical, dental and
long-term care expenses that exceed 7.5 percent
of your adjusted gross income. You can include
your own medical expenses in calculating the
total. See the IRS publication 502 (www.irs.gov/
pub/irs-pdf/p502.pdf) for details.
Check Your State:
In addition to the federal tax breaks, more than
20 states offer tax credits and deductions for
caregivers on state income taxes too. Check with
your state tax agency to see what’s available.
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.
LUNCH & LEARN
Join the Senior
Community Commission
at the
HART PARK HOUSE
for a FREE presentation. Lunch is
available for a
$2 donation
Call (626) 355-0256 by
12 noon the day before.
2012 EXCURSIONS
SAVE THE DATES
REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN
THURSDAY, APRIL 26TH - Palm Springs
Follies. Spend the day in sunny PS and see
the new show Hot! Hot! Hot! celebrating
those memories of endless summers with
music and dance. COST per person is $58
(includes transportation, tip & show).
Lunch will be on your own at one of the
many restaurants next to the theatre.
Registration can be done either in person or
online at:
www.cityofsierramadre.com/
onlineregistration
DIAL - A - RIDE TICKETS
Tickets can now be purchased at:
Sierra Madre City Hall
Sierra Madre Recreation Center
Sierra Madre Library
We’d like to hear from you!
What’s on YOUR Mind?
Contact us
at: editor@
mtnviewsnews.com
or
www.facebook.com/
mountainviewsnews
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
626-351-8444482 N. Rosemead Blvd., #201 | Pasadena, CA 91107www.elitedentistryofpasadena
Elite Dentistry
of Pasadenal Veneersl Implantsl Invisalignl Cosmetic Dentistryl Denturesl Root Canalsl Treatmentsl Extractionsl And much more...
Oksana Boyechko, DMD, CDIProfessor at UCLA School of DentistryOpen Mon - Fri 9am - 6pm | Sat 2pm - 4pm | Closed TuesdaysSat. & Evening Appts. Available | Please ask about our specials.
|