Mountain Views News          Saturday, December 6, 2014

9

THE GOOD LIFE

Mountain Views-News Saturday, December 6, 2014 

SENIOR HAPPENINGS

WHO SHOULD BE SCREENED FOR LUNG 
CANCER?

Dear Savvy Senior:

What can you tell me about lung cancer 
screenings? My husband was a long-time smoker, 
but quit many years ago, so I’m wondering if he 
should be checked out. Concerned Spouse

 

Dear Concerned:

According to recent recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force – an independent 
panel of medical experts that advises the government on health policies – if your husband is between 
the ages of 55 and 80, is a current smoker or quit within the last 15 years, and has a smoking history 
of at least 30 pack-years, he’s at high risk for lung cancer and should talk to his doctor about getting 
screened.

Pack years are determined by multiplying the number of packs he smoked daily by the number of 
years he smoked.

You’ll also be happy to know that lung cancer screenings – which are recommended annually to 
those at risk – will be covered by all private health insurance plans starting in 2015, and Medicare 
is expected to begin coverage this February or March. The Medicare screening, however, will only 
cover high-risk beneficiaries through age 74.

Lung cancer kills around 160,000 Americans each year making it the most deadly of all possible 
cancers. In fact, more people die of lung cancer than of colon, breast and prostate cancers combined.

Lung cancer also occurs predominantly in older adults. About two out of every three people 
diagnosed with lung cancer are 65 or older, and the risk of lung cancer peaks at age 71.

Lung Cancer Screening

The goal of annual screenings is to detect cancer early before symptoms appear, so it can be cured. 
The five-year survival rate among people with lung cancer when it’s caught in its earliest stage is 77 
percent, versus only 4 to 25 percent for people whose cancer has spread.

To get screened for lung cancer, your husband will need a low-dose computed tomography (CT) 
chest scan, which is a painless, noninvasive test that generates detailed three-dimensional images 
of his lungs. 

For the screening, he will be asked to lie on a table that slides through the center of a large, doughnut 
shaped scanner that rotates around him to take images. Each scan takes just a few seconds, during 
which time he’ll be asked to hold his breath, because movement can produce blurred images. The 
entire procedure takes only a few minutes from start to finish.

You also need to be aware that a lung CT screening has its downsides. First, it exposes you to some 
radiation – about the same as a mammography but more that of a chest X-ray.

Lung CT screenings aren’t foolproof either. They can produce a high rate of false-positive results, 
which means they frequently detect small spots (abnormalities) on the lungs that are suggestive of 
cancer but aren’t cancerous. These false alarms lead to more testing and sometimes lung biopsies, as 
well as unnecessary worry and anxiety.

Prevention

Because smoking causes 80 to 90 percent of all lung cancer cases, the best way to avoid lung cancer is 
to not smoke, and if you do smoke, quit. Even if you’ve been a smoker for a long time, quitting now 
still decreases your risk. Other factors that can increase the risk of lung cancer include exposure to 
secondhand smoke, radon, asbestos and other toxic chemicals or fumes.

For more information on lung cancer screenings, call the American Lung Association at 800-586-
4872, or use their online tool (LungCancerScreeningSavesLives.org), which will help you determine 
if your husband needs to be screened.

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.


HELPFUL HINT: For a totally different effect, tie yarn around a paint roller to create a 
unique and stunning pattern on whatever surface you’re painting.

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FOR YOUR FUNNY BONE - A lady goes to a priest one day and tells him, “Father, 
I have a problem. I have two female parrots, but they only know how to say one thing.” “What do 
they say?” the priest inquired. They say, “We are hookers! Do you want to have some fun?” “That’s 
obscene!” the priest exclaimed, then he thought or a moment. “You know, he said, “I may have a 
solution to your problem. I have two male talking parrots, which I have taught to pray and read 
the Bible. Bring your two parrots over to my house and we’ll put them in a cage with Francis and 
Job. My parrots can teach your parrots to praise and worship, and your parrots will stop saying…
that phrase…in no time” “Thank you,” the woman responded, “This may very well be the solution.” 
The next day, she brought her female parrots to the priest’s house. As he ushered her in, she saw 
that his two male parrots were inside their cage, holding rosary beads and praying. Impressed, she 
walked over and placed her parrots in with them. After a few minutes, the female parrots cried out 
in unison, “Hi, we’re hookers! Do you want to have some fun?” There was stunned silence. Shocked, 
one male parrot looked over at the other male parrot and exclaimed, “Put the beads away, Frank. 
Our prayers have been answered!”

 ~ ~ ~

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! … December Birthdays

Pat Karamitros, Joan Hufnagel, Mary Alice Cervera, Carol Horejsi, Shirley Anhalt 
, Mignon Grijalva, Helen Reese, Levon Yapoujian, Toni Buckner, Lottie Bugl, Pat 
McGuire, Sheila Wohler, Nan Murphy, Eleanor Hensel, Sylvia Curl, Elizabeth 
Levie, Gayle Licher, Cindy Barran, and Melissa Stute. * 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.


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

ETIQUETTE FOR RECEIVING GIFTS

Christmas is fast approaching 
and many of us are running 
around in a gift-buying 
frenzy! While it’s better to 
give than to receive, we cannot neglect our role 
as gift recipients. One of the first things children 
learn (we hope!) is to say “please” and “thank you.” 
When I was a little girl, my Mom sat me down 
after Christmas and my birthday with a list of 
the presents I received and a stack of “thank you” 
cards to write. I assumed that everyone had this 
experience, so I was surprised to hear that some 
family members and friends did not acknowledge 
gifts my parents sent them.

 It’s not as if Mom or Dad 
want big, gushing letters of 
gratitude. They just want to 
be sure that the gift actually 
got to the person! Especially 
these days when packages are 
stolen from people’s porches, 
it’s a valid concern. I try to 
understand why otherwise 
gracious people fail to send 
a simple note in the mail, or 
even an email as a gesture 
of thanks. Perhaps they are 
so well-loved that they are 
literally flooded with gifts, and 
sending “thank you’s” would 
take them forever. I imagine 
Will & Kate of Cambridge and the Kardashians 
would be likely candidates for this problem.

 What is a solution for this dilemma, if the old-
fashioned “thank you” notes are no longer a viable 
option? When you order a gift to be delivered 
there is a place in which to type a note. Maybe 
they should also offer a self addressed stamped 
card that the recipient merely needs to drop in 
the mail as an indication that they got the present. 
Not being very tech savvy, I wouldn’t be surprised 
if there’s already an app for this.

 It is possible to go overboard in the other 
direction when considering etiquette, however. 
When I got married I saw all sorts of guides about 
the proper ways to word “thank you” letters and 
other things like that. I don’t think people really 
want, or expect, to receive a letter of thanks for gifts 
that they opened in person. Of course weddings 
are more formal, but for occasions like birthdays 
I think it’s fine to just thank the person then and 
there. The point is not to become slaves to legalistic 
note-writing rules, it’s simply about letting the 
giver know that you got what they sent you. 

 To revisit an earlier point, 
it is better go give than to 
receive. The Bible teaches that 
we should freely give, without 
hoping for anything in return. 
Our motives need to be pure. 
Instead of basking in thankful 
accolades, we should rather 
strive for our charitable acts 
to bring glory to God, not 
to ourselves. Before we get 
a golden plaque with our 
name on it, or have a hospital 
wing named after us, we have 
already received our “reward.” 
When we give anonymously, 
or even offer our time or 
talents in humble ways, God 
prepares an eternal reward for us in heaven. 

 It’s not about how much we give or do, it’s 
about our attitude toward our Father in heaven. 
How good God is to even bless us when we do 
something honorable in His name! He doesn’t 
owe us anything, and although we owe Him 
EVERYTHING, He still lavishes blessings on us 
as we serve Him. Let’s keep this in mind as we 
approach Christmas, the celebration of His Son, 
the greatest gift!


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