Mountain Views News          Saturday, July 14, 2012

13

20

THE GOOD LIFE

 Mountain Views News Saturday July 14, 2012

SENIOR HAPPENINGS


HOW TO PICK AN 
ASSISTED LIVING 
RESIDENCE

Dear Savvy Senior:

Can you give me some tips on picking a good 
assisted living facility for my mother? Her 
health has declined to the point that she can’t live alone anymore but isn’t ready for a nursing 
home either. 

Need Assistance 

Dear Need: If your mother needs some assistance with daily living activities like bathing or getting 
dressed, managing her medications, preparing meals, housekeeping, laundry or just getting 
around, an assisted living facility is definitely a good option to consider. 

Assisted living facilities are residential communities that offer different levels of health or personal 
care services for seniors who want or need help with daily living. 

While there’s no standard blueprint for how they’re constructed, an assisted living facility may be 
part of a retirement community or nursing home, or they may stand alone. Most communities 
have between 25 and 125 suites, varying in size from a single room to a full apartment. And some 
even offer special memory care units for residents with dementia. Here are some simple steps 
you can take to help you find a good facility. 

Make a list: Start by calling your Area Agency on Aging (call 800-677-1116 or visit www.eldercare.
gov for contact information) for a list of assisted living facilities in the area. You can also do 
a search online at senior housing locater sites like snapforseniors.com, or check your local yellow 
pages under “senior housing” or “assisted living.” 

Call your ombudsman: This is a government official who investigates long-term care facility 
complaints and advocates for residents and their families. This person can help you find the latest 
health inspection reports on specific assisted living facilities, and can tell you which ones have 
had complaints or other problems. To find your local ombudsman, call your area aging agency 
or see ltcombudsman.org.

Call the facilities: Once you’ve narrowed your search, call the facilities you’re interested in to find 
out if they have any vacancies, what they charge and if they provide the types of services your 
mother needs. 

Tour your top choices: During your visit, notice the cleanness and smell of the facility. Is it homey 
and inviting? Does the staff seem responsive and kind to its residents? Also be sure to taste 
the food, and talk to the residents and their family members, if available. It’s also a good idea to 
visit several times at different times of the day and different days of the week to get a broader 
perspective.

Also, find out about staff screening (do they do background checks) and training procedures, 
and what percentage of their staff leaves each year. Less than 30 percent annually is considered 
good. More than 50 percent is a red flag. To help you rate your visit, the Assisted Living Federation 
of America offers a handy checklist at alfa.org/checklist. 

Assisted Living Costs

Since Medicare does not cover assisted living, paying for this type of housing is another area 
you may have questions about or need assistance with. Monthly costs for assisted living ranges 
anywhere from $2,000 to $5,000 or more, depending on where you live, the facility you choose 
and the services provided. Most residents pay out-of-pocket from their own personal funds, and 
some have long-term care insurance policies. 

If, however, your mom is lower-income and can’t afford this, there are some states that have Medicaid 
waver programs that help pay for assisted living. Or, if she’s a veteran, spouse or surviving 
spouse of a vet, she may be able to get funds through the VA’s Aid and Attendance benefit. To find 
out about these programs, ask the assisted living facility director, or contact her local Medicaid 
office (call 800-633-4227 for contact information) or regional VA office (800-827-1000). 

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.

July Birthdays

Anthony Gheezo, Joanne Gheezo, Betty Hansen, 
Beverly Turko, Vivian Abrams, Shahrzad 
Arzani, Eunice Banis, Cindy Barnard, Christine 
Durfort, Dorothy Montgomery, Beth Pancoska, Janet 
Swanson, Linda Thunes, BarbaraWatson, 


JULY 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!!

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.

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.

Thursdays:

1:00 to 3:30 pm: Game Day. Join us for 
Poker and more. Wii - 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. Please call for more 
information.

Fridays: Intervale Lunch Café; daily reservations 
needed 355-0256

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

Saturdays: 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.) 

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


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. 

DIAL - A - RIDE TICKETS

Tickets can now be purchased at:

Sierra Madre City Hall

Sierra Madre Library

AARP Safe Driving Class

The 55 Alive/Mature Driving class is taking place on 
June 26th & 27th starting at 9 am to 1 pm at the 
Community Recreation Center, 611 E. Sierra Madre 
Blvd., Sierra Madre. If you are interested in taking 
this class, please contact the Community Services 
Department at (626) 355-5278 to reserve your 
space. This class requires a minimum of 8 participants 
to run so pre-registration is required.

Most insurance companies honor this class certificate 
by discounting insurance rates. Class fee is $12 
for AARP members and $14 for non-members; collected 
by AARP the first day of class.

2012 EXCURSIONS

Friday, July 13th - Laguna Beach Pageant 
of the Masters. This annual trip will 
be leaving Sierra Madre at 4:30 pm and 
return around 11:30 pm. Tickets are limited 
to the first 40 registered participants 
and the cost per person is $55.

 Registration can be done either in person 
or online at www.cityofsierramadre.
com/onlineregistration

HEALTH & FITNESS


HAVING FUN WHILE GETTING FIT

 

(NAPSI)—If you want to become more active—and have fun at the same time—why not start the 
party by playing the latest dance and fitness games?

The new releases offer some great options for getting your moves on.

For example, you can dance along to the biggest hits that made The Black Eyed Peas into a global 
phenomenon in “The Black Eyed Peas Experience.”

The game lets you perform alongside apl.de.ap, Fergie, Taboo and will.i.am with professional 
choreography designed exclusively for the group. It includes all the record-breaking hits from 
“The Beginning,” “The E.N.D.,” “Monkey Business” and “Elephunk.”

With the ability to play with up to four friends at once, “The Black Eyed Peas Experience” is the 
ultimate way to get the party started in your own living room. 

If you want to revolutionize your workout routine, try “Your Shape: Fitness Evolved 2012,” sequel 
to the No. 1 fitness game on Kinect. The game includes over 90 hours of activities and 60 new 
exercises and workout classes. 

Players can follow new workout routines, choose from a selection of classes including dance, 
yoga and sports training, or play fun games like jump rope and cardio boxing. A new feature 
called Run the World allows players to virtually run through the streets of New York or London.

When all is said and done, sometimes you want to “Just Dance.” Fortunately, the world’s No. 1 
dance brand game is back and the party is better than ever. The new “Just Dance 3” for Kinect 
and Wii gives a new twist to the already spontaneous and outrageous dance game.

The game features over 40 tracks from multiple genres and popular artists, including “Party Rock 
Anthem” by LMFAO, “California Gurls” by Katy Perry featuring Snoop Dogg, and “Forget You” 
by Cee Lo Green. 

Not only does the game include everyone’s favorite game modes, like Just Sweat and Dance 
Mash-ups, but for the first time, you can bust your moves with four players simultaneously. 

The brand-new Just Create mode lets players choreograph and record their own dance routines 
right into the game. 

For more information, visit www.ubi.com.