Mountain Views News          Saturday, March 21, 2015

THE GOOD LIFE

11

Mountain Views-News Saturday, March 21, 2015

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! … February Birthdays

Hilda Pittman, Anne-Marie Stockdale, Ann Luke, Susan Henderson, Jan Reed, Peter 
Lippincott, Georgia Lippincott, Allie Attay, Ursula El-Tawansy, Gladys Moser, Sylvia 
Lorhan, Jan O’Day, Ana Ptanski, Winifred Swanson , Marian DeMars, Vickie Vernon, 
Mary Beth Knox, Sharon Lefler, Gordon Caldwell. * To add your name to this 
distinguished list, please call the paper at 626.355.2737. YEAR of birth not required but you must 
be over 60.

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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.

LUNCH & LEARN PRESENTATION – HEART HEALTH

Wednesday, February 18th, 2015 beginning at 12:00 pm

February is American Heart Month, a time to show yourself the love. Learn about your risks for 
heart disease and stay “heart healthy” for yourself and your loved ones. 

 A representative from The Kensington will teach us about nutrition on how to eat a healthy diet 
and also activities that can help us maintain a healthy weight and lower cholesterol and blood 
pressure.

 If you would like to have lunch during the talk, please make a lunch reservation with the Senior 
Lunch Café at 626-355-0256 or you may bring your own.

SEASONAL FUN AT THE SENIOR CENTER

Valentine’s Day Craft: Give flowers on Valentine’s Day that won’t need water or trigger pollen 
allergies. Come and join us on Thursday, February 12th, in making tissue paper carnations. Craft 
making will begin at 11:00 am. All supplies will be provided.

HISTORIC RESIDENCE OF SAM MALOOF AND THE MALOOF 
DISCOVERY GARDENS (ALTA LOMA)

Date: Friday, February 27, 2014 Time: 9:30am - 3;30pm

Meeting Location: Hart Park House Senior Center Cost: $20 (Does not include lunch)

 Guided tour of the home of American woodworker Sam Maloof and furnished with his signature 
furniture. The house is also a showcase of 20th century studio craft and fine art. Following the tour, 
take a selfguided tour of the Maloof Discovery Garden and then visit the Museum shop stocked with 
crafts and Maloof publications. Please note there are 12 steps up to a mezzanine level in the historic 
home. Not able to accommodate wheelchairs in the historic home, but can accommodate walkers. 
Patrons are required to leave their handbags and other large belongings in a locked coat check room 
prior to touring the home. Lunch is scheduled for a restaurant 

SENIOR HAPPENINGS

HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM 
OSTEOPOROSIS BONE FRACTURES


Dear Savvy Senior,

Can a person in their early 50’s have osteoporosis? When I 
fell and broke my wrist last winter the doctor that treated 
me told me I might have osteoporosis. What can you tell 
me?

Worried Ronda

Dear Ronda,

While osteoporosis is much more common in older 
seniors, it can strike at any age. In fact, the National 
Osteoporosis Foundation estimates that half of women 
and up to 25 percent of men in the U.S. over the age of 
50 will break a bone due to osteoporosis. Here’s what you 
should know. 

Who’s at Risk?

Osteoporosis is a disease that causes the bones to become 
brittle and weak and more susceptible to fractures. 
Around 10 million Americans already have osteoporosis 
(80 percent are women) while another 43 million have 
“pre-osteoporosis,” or osteopenia. But the good news is 
this disease is both preventable and treatable. 

 Most people, by the time they reach their late 30’s, 
gradually start losing some of their bone mass, but 
for women, menopause is the time when this process 
really accelerates. Bone loss for men occurs much more 
slowly. However, by age 75, osteoporosis is as common 
in men as it is in women. Some of the key risk factors 
of developing osteoporosis include: being over age 50; 
being female; menopause; having a family history of the 
disease; being small and thin; having an eating disorder; 
not getting enough calcium and vitamin D; getting too 
much protein, sodium and caffeine; having an inactive 
lifestyle; smoking; drinking too much alcohol; taking 
certain medications (see nof.org/articles/6 for a list); 
and having certain medical conditions (see nof.org/
articles/5). 

 To help you determine your risk of osteoporosis, the 
National Institutes of Health has a quick, online quiz 
you can take at bonecheckup.org.

Prevention and Treatment

 A good first step in preventing and treating 
osteoporosis is to get screened. For women, that should 
start around menopause, especially if you’re not taking 
estrogen, or anyone who has broken a bone after age 50 
or who has other risk factors.

 All women over 65 and men over 70 should be 
tested every two years – Medicare covers it. Screening 
for osteoporosis is a simple, painless, bone density test, 
which takes about five minutes.

Here’s what else you can do to protect your bones. 

 Boost your calcium: The best way to get bone-building 
calcium is through your diet. Dairy products (low-fat 
milk, cheeses and yogurt), dark green leafy vegetables 
(broccoli, kale, collards), sardines and salmon, cooked 
dried beans, soy foods, almonds and fortified cereals 
and juices are all good sources of calcium. Vitamin D is 
also important to help you body absorb calcium.

 The National Osteoporosis Foundation recommends 
1,000 mg of calcium daily for women under age 50 and 
for men under 70, and 1,200 mg for women 51 and older 
and for men over 71. Note: Recent studies have found 
that excess calcium could increase the risk of heart 
disease.

 They also recommend all adults under age 50 get 
400 to 800 IU of vitamin D, or 800 to 1,000 IU if you’re 
over 50. If you’re not getting enough vitamin D through 
sunlight or food, consider taking a supplement. Most 
daily multivitamins contain at least 400 IU. 

 Exercise: Weight-bearing exercises like walking, and 
strength training with weights or resistant bands three 
or four times a week can also significantly improve your 
bone health.

 Control these vices: Avoid smoking, limit alcohol 
to no more than two or three drinks per day, and limit 
caffeine (coffee, tea or caffeinated soda) to three cups a 
day.

 Consider medications: The most widely prescribed 
for osteoporosis are bisphosphonates, a class of drugs 
designed to slow or stop bone loss. Talk to your doctor 
about these and other medication options, as well as 
potential side effects.

 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

THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE CRAZY


It’s that time of year again! 
The weather’s getting warmer, 
flowers are blooming, and 
school children are itching with 
spring fever! And it’s only the 
end of March! But you must remember that many 
schools started way back in the middle of August. 
That leaves only about 30 school days left, and 
both students and teachers are running on fumes.

 Most “naughty” kids push the envelope of their 
teacher’s patience at the beginning of the school 
year. But there are always a few who students 
snap and revert to their old ways in this last leg of 
the race. This is what happened near the end of 
one of my mom’s last years of teaching third 
grade in a public school.

 The student in question (let’s call him 
Ned) came to third grade with a reputation 
for chronic sassy-ness, noncompliance, and 
general misconduct. Ned’s previous teachers 
had exhausted all the usual disciplinary 
methods: e.g., behavior contracts, 
punishment, rewards, screaming --all to no 
avail. Since my mom had 30 plus years of 
experience in the trenches dealing with every 
variety of students, she had a full arsenal of 
strategies at her disposal. 

 You see, some kids just get so callused 
and jaded over the years that traditional 
approaches at behavior modification fall 
short. These kids have grown accustomed 
to having teachers negotiate with them, 
cajole them, punish them, and yell to the point of 
developing vocal nodules. What they’re not used 
to is teachers who are just as crazy as they are!

 My mom and Ned maintained a working 
relationship for most of the year, but near the 
end Ned started to slip back into his whinny, 
argumentative habits. Specifically, he claimed 
that my mom had confiscated a ring of his at the 
beginning of the year, and now he wanted it back.

 Of course there was no such ring, but that 
didn’t matter to Ned. He just wanted a fight. 
Their conversation went something like this:

Ned: “Hey, Mrs. Hopkins, you never gave back my 
ring that you took away.”

Mom: “I never took a ring from you. What are 
you talking about?”

Ned: (whining) “NO! You took it! I remember!” 

Mom: (walking to her desk, she cut a small 
rectangle of paper, connected the ends with tape, 
and handed it to Ned.) “Ok, here’s a ring for you.”

Ned: (surprised, but still angry) “No! It was a real 
ring! My dad gave it to me!”

Mom: “That is a real ring. Look, you can put it on 
your finger.”

Ned: “No! It had a diamond on it!”

Mom: (she takes the paper ring back and draws 
a diamond shape in the middle) “Okay, here’s a 
diamond.”

Ned: (walking away with his new ring) “I’m 
telling my dad!”

Mom: “That’s fine. While you’re at it, remind him 
to sign and return your report card.”

 Ned had a big, strong male teacher for fourth 
grade. Around the end of the year, Ned’s mom 
came back to thank my mom for working with 
him. “You’re the only one who was able to manage 
him!”

 Teaching, for the most part, is a thankless job of 
civil servants. But occasionally there’s something 
to brag about!

UPCOMING EXCURSIONS:


626-355-5700245 West Sierra Madre BlvdSierra Madre, CA 91024www.TheKensingtonSierraMadre.comRCFE License198601953Managing the Risk of Caringfor a Senior Loved One:
A Psychiatrist’s Viewwith Dr. Edward Castner, Psychiatrist,
Huntington Memorial Hospital & Methodist Hospitalof Southern CaliforniaTuesday, March 31, 2015 from 5:30pm-7:00pmat The Kensington, 245 West Sierra Madre Blvd, Sierra Madre, CAHors d’oeuvres and refreshments servedRSVP to SSciurba@KensingtonSL.com or 626-355-5700YOUR INVITATION TO AN EVENTAT THE KENSINGTON