Mountain Views News          Saturday, September 22, 2012

13

THE GOOD LIFE

 Mountain Views News Saturday, September 22, 2012

SENIOR HAPPENINGS

VACCINATION OPTIONS FOR SENIORS THIS FLU SEASON

Dear Savvy Senior:

Are there any new or different types of vaccines being recommended to seniors this flu season? 

Health Conscious Carol

Dear Carol:

There are actually several different types of flu 
shots available to seniors this year, along with a 
new FDA-approved shot for pneumonia. Here are 
your options. 

Flu Shots

Just as they do every year, the CDC strongly recommends 
a seasonal flu shot to almost everyone, 
but it’s especially important for seniors who are more vulnerable. The flu puts more than 200,000 
people in the hospital each year and kills around 24,000 – 90 percent of whom are seniors. 

This year, all seniors 65 and older have two flu vaccine options from which to choose. A traditional 
flu shot, or a shot of Fluzone High-Dose. The high-dose vaccine contains four times the amount of 
antigen (the part of the vaccine that prompts the body to make antibody) as a regular flu shot does, 
which creates a stronger immune response for better protection. 

And if you’re under age 65, your two options are a regular flu shot, or a shot of Fluzone Intradermal. 
The intradermal vaccine uses a shorter, thinner needle to inject the vaccine just under the skin, rather 
than deeper in the muscle like standard flu shots. If you’re squeamish about needles, this is a nice 
option. 

You also need to be aware that if you’re allergic to chicken eggs or if you have had a severe reaction to 
a flu vaccine in the past you should not get vaccinated without consulting your doctor first. 

To locate a vaccination site that offers regular, high-dose and intradermal flu shots, ask your doctor or 
pharmacist, or check the online flu-shot locator at flu.gov. Most chains like CVS, Walgreens, Safeway, 
Kmart, Walmart, Rite Aid and Kroger offer all types of shots.

You’ll also be happy to know that if you’re a Medicare beneficiary, Part B will cover 100 percent of the 
costs of any flu shot. But if you’re not covered, you can expect to pay around $25 to $35 for a regular 
or intradermal flu shot, or $50 to $60 for a shot of the high-dose. 

Pneumonia Vaccine

The other important vaccination the CDC recommends to seniors – especially this time of year – is 
the pneumococcal vaccine for pneumonia and meningitis. Pneumococcal diseases hospitalize around 
300,000 U.S. seniors each year, and kills around 5,000. 

The CDC currently recommends all seniors 65 or older get a one-time only shot of the vaccine Pneumovax, 
as well as those under 65 who smoke or have chronic health conditions like asthma, lung and 
heart disease, diabetes, or a weakened immune system. 

Pneumovax, which protects against 23 strains of the pneumococcal disease, is also covered 100 percent 
under Medicare Part B, and you can get it on the same day you get your flu shot. If you’re not 
covered by insurance, this vaccine costs around $45 to $85 at retail clinics. 

You also need to know that this year, there’s an alternative pneumococcal vaccine available to people 
age 50 and older called Prevnar 13. This vaccine, which has been available to children for several 
years, may provide seniors longer lasting and better protection against pneumonia than Pneumovax.

Talk to your doctor to determine which pneumonia vaccine is best for you. 

Prevnar 13 is also covered by most insurers including Medicare Part B, but if you aren’t covered the 
shot runs between $100 and $150.

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.

September Birthdays

Judie Cimino, Donna Anderson, Linda Knowles, 
Gwen Robertson, Nancy Shollenberger, Meegan 
Tosh, Geri Wright, Theresa Chaure, Esther Macias, 
Sheila Pierce, Denise Reistetter, Edwina Garcia, 
Yvonne Osti


SEPTEMBER 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!!


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; NEW TIME 1-3PM 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-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 for more 
information. 


YWCA SAN GABRIEL VALLEY 
EXPANDED MEALS!

INTERVALE SENIOR CAFE 

All seniors 60 years of age and up can take part in the 
YWCA Intervale daily lunch program held

at the Hart Park House Senior Center. Meals are 
served Monday through Friday at 12:00pm

(participants are encouraged to arrive no later than 
11:45am). Meals are a suggested donation of

$2.00 for seniors 60 and over or $3.75 for non-senior 
guests. Daily reservations are necessary, as

space is limited. Please reserve your lunch by calling 
626-355-0256 at least 24 hours in advance.

MUSEUM DAY 

Free Tickets for Two!

On Saturday, September 29,2012 you and a 
friend can visit participating museums for free! 

To register for your free ticket for two go to

www.smithsonianmag.org/museumday. 

Participating L.A. area museums include: Autry

National Center, California Science Center, 
Skirball Cultural Center, L.A. Museum of the 
Holocaust and more! 

You can stop by the Hart Park House for assistance 
signing up for free tickets. 

Call 626-355-7394 for more info.

2012 EXCURSIONS

RILEY’S FARM AND HAWKS HEAD 
PUBLIC HOUSE COLONIAL LUNCH 
(OAK GLEN, CA)

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Departure: Charter bus leaves at 
9:30am from the Hart Park House

Lunch & Activities: 11:00am-2:00pm

Return: Bus will arrive back in Sierra 
Madre at approximately 3:30pm

Cost: $34 includes transportation, 
lunch and tip

For more information on Riley’s Farm 
please visit their website at http://
www.rileysfarm.com/. The deadline

for registration is Wednesday, 

September 5, 2012.

GRABER OLIVE HOUSE TOUR 

(ONTARIO, CA)

Friday, October 26, 2012

Departure: 9:30am from the Hart Park 
House

Lunch& Activities: 10:30am-2:00pm

Return: Sierra Madre approximately 
3:30pm

Cost: $10 (does not include lunch)

More Info: Call the Hart Park House at 
626-355-7394

Graber Olive House tour highlights

the tradition of grading, curing and

canning of Graber Olives! For more

information on the Graber Olive 
House please visit www.graberolives.
com. After the tour lunch will be 
eaten as a group at Molly’s Souper, a

fantastic brunch restaurant in Upland. 
All participants are required to eat at 
the same restaurant. 

The registration deadline is Monday, 
October 22, 2012.


FORGIVING THINGS

 

Forgiveness is a virtue we should all strive 
toward. However, this article isn’t about 
the forgiveness of people. It’s about the 
forgiveness (and unforgiveness) of the 
plants, clothing, and machines we deal 
with on a daily basis.

 First, let’s look at some things that are totally unforgiving, 
despite the best efforts of their owners. I’m thinking about 
orchids and African violets. Orchids are lovely gifts. But 
within a week or less, their petals shrivel into brownish 
clumps resembling heavily used Kleenex. African violets 
are much the same. You buy a pot with several purple, pink 
or blue blossoms that promptly wither and fall off. Orchids 
typically become just a broad-leafed plant whose only flower 
is the faded photo on its sticker. But African violets are even 
more fickle. You’re lucky if you can coax their fuzzy leaves 
to survive through the year.

 That’s why I love philodendron! That’s the name (I 
recently discovered) of my indestructible house plant of 
over five years. You’ve seen these fellows before. Usually they’re in offices and other places where 
rugged survival skills are needed. Their long tendrils are often draped across bookcases and spill over 
the edges of filing cabinets. They’ll never be a bride’s choice for center pieces, or featured by Martha 
Stewart, but they’re the “Energizer Bunnies” of plants --they can “take a lickin’ and keep on tickin’!”

 Moving onto clothing (a topic I rarely think about), a big concern is whether it’s high or low 
maintenance. Linen, I’ve heard, can be very troublesome. Apparently it develops PERMANENT 
wrinkles if you even look at it funny. Compare that to polyester, or better yet --qiana! Popular in the 
70’s, qiana was a silky fabric comprised of methane and acid. How cool is that! Like polyester, this 
miracle of science could withstand twisting, scrunching, and other abuse, and still came out looking 
fresh.

 Cooking is another area where you come to appreciate the more forgiving ingredients. Fish is a 
classic example. I’ve rarely had whitefish prepared well in a restaurant, unless it’s masked in fried 
batter. Don’t get me wrong; fish and chips, when done properly, are great! But at home, our attempts 
at cooking whitefish at home have been bland at best, and cardboard-dry at worst. That’s why we love 
SALMON! Salmon, (and other oily fish like sea bass --which we’re too cheap to buy) are so much 
more forgiving than their whiter counterparts. You can over bake salmon or leave it a little too pink 
in the middle. But it will usually turn out “okay,” as long as no one gets sick.

 Let’s leave food and look at other inanimate objects that prompt emotions of gratitude (or contempt) 
as we interact with them on a daily basis. When I think of unforgiving machines, the first monster 
that comes to mind is the dreaded scourge of the office --the copy machine. The copy machine knows 
when you need something quickly, and it takes these opportunities to play mind games with you. 
“Paper jam in tray 2,” it says. After bungling around with several cranks and levers, you eventually 
access tray 2. It is spotless, without a shred of paper to be seen. You push and shove all the pieces back 
into place, but the monitor insists that tray 2 has some major problem impeding your copying job. Or 
it might say that the toner needs replacing, although you know the toner cartridge is fully loaded, as 
evidenced by your blackened hands. 

 Thank goodness there are “copy machine whisperers.” These people need not necessarily be from 
the tech department. Sometimes the custodian or security officer is the sole “master of the beast.” 
I’m convinced that success with copy machines, and others like it, are more a matter of personal 
dominance then technical training. Like mad dogs, the machines can sense fear and insecurity. You 
need to be able to ruthlessly yank open drawers in order to show the machine who’s boss. This is the 
closest that modern society has come to snake charming.

 Considering all these things, I hope you’ll better appreciate the plants, clothes, food, and machines 
that make your life easier. And I also hope that if you need to deal with whitefish or copy machines, 
that you have a great chef and “machine whisperer” among your friends! 


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 noon the day before. 

Fall Prevention Seminar • Sept. 5 @ 12:30pm 

September is Fall Prevention Month, and we are 
helping seniors “watch their steps” with a great fall 
prevention seminar by ComForcare Senior 

Services. We will look at personal risk factors for

falling and home safety issues that cause falls.

We will also discuss easy ways to correct these

problems so that our seniors can continue to live

actively and independently. This seminar will be

fun and interactive!

Kensington Q&A Session • Sept. 19 @ 12:15pm

Developer Billy Shields, a representative of the

Kensington Assisted Living Project, will be at the

Hart Park House to host a Q&A session. This is the

perfect opportunity to find out more about the

Kensington project that will be on the November

ballot which may impact Measure V. Kensington

proposes an assisted living facility at 33 N.

Hermosa Ave. and 245 W. Sierra Madre Blvd. in

Sierra Madre.

SENIOR MOVIE PROGRAM - SEPTEMBER

The Hart Park House Senior Center is 
expanding the monthly movie program 
to two movies in September. 

One classic and one contemporary

movie will be shown on the 2nd and 4th

Wednesdays of the month. As an added 
bonus, at the end of the movie the audience 
will get to choose the movies for the 
following month! All movies begin at 
1:00pm in the Council Chambers

and are absolutely free.


CHICAGO • Sept. 12

AFRICAN QUEEN • 
Sept. 26