Mountain Views News          Saturday, November 15, 2014

10

THE GOOD LIFE

Mountain Views-News Saturday, November 15, 2014 

SENIOR HAPPENINGS

FREE AND LOW-COST LEGAL SERVICES 

THAT HELP SENIORS IN NEED

HELPFUL HINT: Get a picture of all of your prescription bottles and keep it in your phone’s 
photo album. 

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FOR YOUR FUNNY BONE - A 45 year old woman had a heart attack and was 
taken to the hospital. While on the operating table she had a near death experience. Seeing God, she 
asked, “Is my time up?” God said, “No, you have another 43 years 2 months and 8 days to live.” Upon 
recovery, the woman decided to stay in the hospital and have a face-lift, liposuction, breast implants 
and a tummy tuck. She even had someone come in and change her hair color and brighten her teeth! 
Since she had so much time to live, she figured she might as well make the most of it. After her last 
operation, she was released from the hospital. While crossing the street on her way home, she was 
killed by an ambulance. Arriving in front of God, she demanded, “I thought you said I had another 
43 years? Why didn’t you pull me out of the path of the ambulance?” God replied, “I didn’t recognize 
you.”

 ~ ~ ~

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! … November Birthdays

Flo Mankin, Alberta Curran, Carmela Frontino, Kathy Wood, Lena Zate, Joe Pergola, Janice 
Kacer, Valerie Howard, “Mike” Ruggles, Joan Ruggles, Lois Stueck, Jean Wood, Shirley 
Yergeau, Kathi Jefferson, Pat Krok, Irene Nakagawa, Anna Ross, Mary Steinberg and Sue 
Quinn.

* To add your name to this distinguished list, please call the paper at 626.355.2737. YEAR of birth not 
required

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

 

 YMCA San Gabriel Valley Intervale Senior Café: Monday-Friday at 12:00 Noon 

(Participants are urged to arrive no later than 11:45 A.M.) 

All seniors 60 and up can take part in the lunch program. There is a suggested donation of $2.00 
for those 60 and over and $3.75 for non-senior guests. Daily reservations are necessary as space is 
limited. Please call 24 hours in advance...626.355.0256

Free Balance Class: Every 3rd Monday, from 11:00 to 11:45 am with Shannon. All ability levels are 
encouraged and welcomed.

Hawaiian and Polynesian Dance Class: Every Tuesday morning from 10:00am to 11:00am. Join 
instructor Barbara Dempsey as she instructs you in the art of hula.

Bingo: Every Tuesday beginning at 1:00pm. Cards are only $0.25 each! Everyone is welcome to join. 
May be canceled if less than 5 people. Canceled on August 5th and 12th.

Free Blood Pressure Testing: Held 2nd Tuesday of the month from 11:00am to 12:00pm. No 
appointment is necessary.

Free Legal Consultation: Wednesday, August 27th from 10:00am to Noon. Attorney Lem Makupson 
is available for legal consultation. He specializes in Family Law, Wills, Trusts, Estates, and Injury. 
For an appointment call 626-355-7394.

Chair Yoga: Mondays and Wednesdays from 11:00 to 11:45 am, except on the third 
Monday of the month when the balance class is held. A suggested donation of $5 at one 
of the classes is requested, but is not required.

Birthday Celebrations: Every second Thursday of the month the Hart Park House 
Senior Center celebrates birthdays of our patrons. The free birthday cake is provided by 
the Sierra Madre Civic Club.

Game Day: Every Thursday starting at 12:45pm. A regular group of seniors play poker. Other games 
available for use.

Free Strength Training Class: Every Friday from 12:45pm to 1:30pm with Lisa Brandley. The class 
utilizes light weights for low impact resistance training. All materials for the class are provided.

 

UPCOMING EXCURSIONS

December 2014 – The Mission Inn and Festival of Lights 

On Wednesday, December 3, 2014 join us for a 75-minute late afternoon guided tour of the Mission 
Inn in Riverside. The Mission Inn is a national historic landmark and the Festival of Lights is an 
annual gift to the community from the present owners, who saved the Inn from destruction in 
1992. This is your opportunity to see parts of the Inn that are inaccessible to the general public. 
Following the tour, at approximately 5:15 pm, participants will have three hours to eat dinner, shop, 
and enjoy the annual Festival of Lights – which features more than 4 million dazzling lights, the 
world’s largest manmade mistletoe, freshly fallen snow, and an elaborately decorated Christmas 
tree in the hotel lobby. Dinner will be on your own and there are many dining options along Main 
Street or at The Mission Inn Hotel which offers an array of award-winning restaurants, each with 
their own unique ambiance. Participants should bring money for dinner and souvenirs. The cost 
of this trip is $20 and does not include dinner; the bus departs from the Hart Park House Senior 
Center at 1:30 pm and will return at 9:30 pm. Last day to register is Monday, November 24. Level 
of Walking: Medium to High.


Dear Savvy Senior:

Where can seniors turn to for free or low-cost legal 
help? My husband and I need some professional 
legal assistance but don’t have a lot of money to 
pay a high priced lawyer. What can you tell us?

Seniors in Need

 

Dear Seniors:

There are actually a number of free and low-cost 
legal resources available today to help seniors, 
but what’s available to you and your husband will 
depend on where you live, the type legal assistance 
you need and your financial situation. Here are 
several resources to check into.

 Legal Aid: Directed by the Legal Services 
Corporation, legal aid offers free legal assistance 
to low-income people of all ages. Each community 
program will differ slightly in the services they 
offer and income qualifications. See lsc.gov/find-
legal-aid to locate a program in your area.

 Pro Bono programs: Usually sponsored by 
state or local bar associations, these programs 
help low-income people find volunteer lawyers 
who are willing to handle their cases for free. 
You can look for a pro bono program through the 
American Bar Association at findlegalhelp.org, or 
through lawhelp.org.

 Senior Legal Hotlines: There are a number of 
states including the District of Columbia that 
offer senior legal hotlines, where all seniors over 
age 60 have access to free legal advice over the 
telephone. To find the states that offer this service 
and their toll free number, visit legalhotlines.org.

 Senior Legal Services: Coordinated by the 
Administration on Aging, this service may offer 
free or low-cost legal advice, legal assistance or 
access to legal representation to people over the 
age of 60. Your Area Agency on Aging can tell 
you what’s available in your community. Call the 
Eldercare Locator at 800-677-1116 to get your 
local number.

 National Disability Rights Network: This is a 
nonprofit membership organization that provides 
legal assistance to people with disabilities through 
their Protection and Advocacy System and Client 
Assistance Program. If you or your husband is 
disabled, visit ndrn.org to find help in your state.

 

Other Options

If you can’t get help from one of these programs, 
or find that you aren’t eligible, another option is to 
contact your state or local bar association, which 
may be able to refer you to a low-fee lawyer. Or, you 
may want to consider hiring a lawyer for only part 
of the legal work and doing other parts yourself. 
This is known as unbundled legal services.

 Many bar associations offer public service-
oriented lawyer referral services that will 
interview clients and help identify the problems 
a lawyer could help them with. If a lawyer can 
help with your problem, the service will provide 
you with a referral to a lawyer. If the problem 
does not require a lawyer, the service will provide 
information on other organizations in your 
community that may be able to help. Most of these 
lawyer referral services conduct their interviews 
and make referrals over the phone.

 To contact your state or local bar association, 
go to americanbar.org and type in “state and local 
bar associations” in the search field to find their 
state-by-state directory.

 And finally, if you are an AARP member, one 
other discount resource that may be able to help 
you is AARP’s Legal Services Network from 
Allstate. This service provides members a free 
legal consultation (up to 45 minutes) with an 
attorney along with 20 percent discounts on other 
legal services you may need. To locate a lawyer 
near you, call 866-330-0753.

 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.


KATIE Tse..........This and That

SUCCESS AND OTHER INTANGIBLES


I’ve never been 
a fan of reality 
shows. However, 
last weekend 
my husband and I were listening to 
89.3 FM (KPCC, I think) when we 
heard a great “Ted Talk.” In it, Mike 
Rowe, of “Dirty Jobs,” chronicled 
memorable experiences, and 
explained his motivation to create 
that reality series.

 Rowe started by commenting on 
the trite proverb we’re all told as young 
adults --”Follow your passion!” It’s a 
nice quote for graduation speeches 
and motivational posters. While that 
sentiment is all well and good, it’s 
also created many “starving artists” 
and impoverished entrepreneurs. 
So, what are we to do if following 
our passion doesn’t put food on the 
table?

 Rowe said something so 
profound, yet simple, I nearly kissed 
the car stereo! “Take your passion 
with you.” We can’t all be actresses, 
painters, musicians, or writers (at 
least not making a living at it), but we can all bring 
our passion to whatever job we have. Rowe’s “Ted 
Talk” was part of the program’s theme, “What 
we define as ‘success.’” Our society has become 
so “success-driven” that many of us suffer from 
“success-anxiety.” This nagging worry is an offshoot 
of the keeping-up-with-the-Joneses mentality. 
There are only a handful of “respectable” jobs one 
can aspire to (e.g., doctor, lawyer, CEO, etc.). If 
you’re not part of this elite club, then you must 
be a “loser.” Another interviewee on the program 
pointed our that “failure” and “loser” labels are 
uniquely American. In the U.S. everyone is equal, 
and therefore, anyone can do anything if they just 
“work hard enough.” 

 I’m not knocking equality! Every person deserves 
respect and dignity because they are a human 
being. However, once you say that everyone has 
the same opportunity and potential for limitless 
material success, it implies that those who haven’t 
achieved that goal have only themselves to blame. 
That person huddled in a blanket on the streets 
of L.A. is there because he didn’t take advantage of 
all the opportunities afforded to him. While part 
of that may be true, it’s still cruel and judgmental. 
The interviewee pointed out that in 
England during the 1800’s, “poor” 
people were called “unfortunates.” This 
term is much more compassionate, 
implying that these people were victims 
of misfortune; they were just dealt a bad 
hand in life.

 The main thrust of these discussions 
was that it’s OKAY to not be a lawyer, 
doctor, or CEO! Dare I say it, it’s even 
okay not to go to college! In public 
education, we often have to bite our 
tongues and go along with the “No 
Child Left Behind” and “Everyone 
Should Go to College” mantras. By 
sending this message, we perpetuate 
the misconception that a college degree 
guarantees a decent job. (Okay, maybe 
the Art History and English majors 
should’ve known better.) But these 
days, even the credentialed teachers, 
psychologists, and (gasp!) lawyers 
are scrounging for jobs! One of my 
Mom’s friend’s sons is a lawyer, and it 
took him over a year to find a position. 
Another friend’s son has a full teaching 
credential, but decided to join the Navy 
since the teaching market is bone dry. 

 So, not only are our schools setting the college 
bound kids up for likely failure, but the kids who 
don’t go to college have to deal with 12 years of being 
told they’re not good enough because they don’t 
excel in math or English. The time these students 
spent trying to fit into the academic mold could’ve 
been spent learning a valuable trade. Society needs a 
healthy balance of scholars and skilled workers. Let’s 
face it, when the pipes under my sink start shooting 
out water at 3 a.m., it’s the plumber I’m calling, not 
the business major. Besides plumbers, electricians, 
arborists, carpenters, and other trade professionals 
make good money!

 At the end of the day, we should all aspire to do 
our best at whatever job in which we find ourselves. 
Not envying those who have more, nor looking down 
on those who have less. Our peace and wellbeing 
should not be wrapped up in our ability to impress 
others. Two verses come to mind; and Hebrews 
13:5, “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be 
content with such things as you have.” Good words, 
but it gets even better, “For He Himself has said, ‘I will 
never leave you nor forsake you.”


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com