Mountain Views News          Saturday, May 30, 2015

13

THE GOOD LIFE

Mountain Views-News Saturday, May 30, 2015

SENIOR HAPPENINGS

HOW TO COMPARE AND LOCATE 

SENIOR HOUSING OPTIONS


HELPFUL HINT: Got Ants? To banish ants from the kitchen, find out where they are 
coming in and cover the hole with petroleum jelly. Ants won’t trek through the jelly. If they are 
coming under a door, draw a line on the floor with chalk. The little bugs also won’t cross a line of 
chalk.

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FOR YOUR FUNNY BONE 

An elderly woman died last month. Having never married, she requested no male 
pallbearers. In her handwritten instructions for her memorial service, she wrote, 
“They wouldn’t take me out while I was alive, I don’t want them to take me out when 
I’m dead! 

 ~ ~ ~

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! … May Birthdays*

Joann Serrato-Chi, Harriett Lyle, Jean Coleman, Birgitta Gerlinger, Donna Mathieson, 
Dorothy Murphy, Linda Wochnik, Marian Woodford, Debbie Sheridan, Joanne Anthony, 
Carole Axline, Kika Downey, Shirley Hall, Annie Scalzo, Janet Ten Eyck, Jane Thomas, Ray 
Burley. . *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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Quote of the Week: “Live your beliefs and you can turn the world around.” 

 Henry David Thoreau

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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

HAWAIIAN AND POLYNESIAN DANCE CLASS: Every Tuesday morning from 10am to 11am. 
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.

FREE BLOOD PRESSURE TESTING: 2nd Tuesday of the month from 11am to 12pm. No appt. 
is necessary.

CASE MANAGEMENT: Meets the 2nd Thursday of the month. Case Management services are 
provided by the YWCA and provide assistance in a variety of areas. Appointments are required and 
can be scheduled by calling the HPH Office at 626-355-7394.

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.

TAX ASSISTANCE: Every Thursday February 5th through April 9th from 1:00pm-2:00pm. Don 
Brunner is available for income tax consultation. Appointments are required, call 626-355-7394.

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.

SENIOR CLUB: Every Saturday at the Hart Park House Senior Center. Brown bag lunch at 11:30am. 
Club meeting at noon. Bingo 12:30-3:30pm. Annual Membership is only $10.00.

THE ALPACA HACIENDA (TEMECULA)


Date: June 30, 2015
Time: 9:00am to 4:30pm

Meeting Location: Hart Park House Senior Center Cost: $12.00 (Does not include lunch)

Description: Learn about the history of the alpaca, why we raise them and how we care for 
them. You’ll learn some of their quirky traits and other interesting facts. You may hand feed 
the alpacas if you like; this is a great opportunity for photographs! This tour includes a mini-
seminar on how we work with the fiber, from washing and carding, to spinning and felting, and 
will give you a brief history of spinning fibers into yarn. Spend some time in our boutique where 
you can find beautiful, handmade items by local fiber artists made from alpaca fiber, as well 
as luxurious scarves, hats, sweater and gloves. Lunch will be on your own at Old Town Temecula. 
Participants should bring money for lunch and souvenirs. Last day to register is Wednesday, June 
24th. Level of Walking: Medium

Excursion Refund Policy

Notification of the cancellation must be made at least 3 business days before the excursion. A refund 
will only be issued 1) for a medical excuse or 2) if the Department is able to fill the patrons spot 
from a waiting list. This refund will be issued in the form of a credit which will be applied to the 
patron’s account with the City, less a $10 cancellation fee. The credit will remain on your account for 
one year from the date issued and the credit may be used for any program or service offered by the 
Community Services Dept.

Dear Savvy Senior,

Can you go over the different types of housing options 
available to seniors, and recommend some good resources 
for locating and choosing one? I need to find a place for my 
elderly mother, and could use some help.

Searching Daughter

Dear Searching,

There’s a wide array of housing options available to 
seniors, but what’s appropriate for your mom will depend 
on her needs and financial situation. Here’s a rundown of 
the different levels of senior housing and some resources 
to help you search.

 Independent living: If your mom is in relatively 
good health and is self-sufficient, “independent living 
communities” are a good place to start. Typically 
available to people over age 55, this type of senior 
housing is usually apartments or town homes that are 
fully functional. In addition, many of these communities 
also offer amenities such as meals served in a common 
dining area, housekeeping, transportation and a variety 
of social activities. 

 To locate this type of housing, contact your Area 
Agency on Aging (call 800-677-1116 to get your local 
number), or use online services like newlifestyles.com 
and caring.com. Most of these communities are private-
pay only, and run anywhere from $1,000 to over $4,000 
per month. 

 If that’s too expensive, another option is “senior 
apartments,” which are often subsidized by HUD for 
lower income seniors. You can locate these through your 
local housing authority or online at hud.gov – click on 
“Find Rental Assistance.”

 Assisted living: If your mom needs some help with 
daily living activities, an “assisted living facility” is 
another option. These facilities provide personal care 
(like bathing, dressing, eating, going to the bathroom) as 
needed, as well as meals, housekeeping, transportation, 
social activities and medication management. Many 
facilities also offer special care units for residents with 
dementia. Costs typically run between $2,000 to $5,000 
or more per month. Most resident’s pay for assisted living 
from personal funds, and some have long-term care 
insurance policies. But, some states now have voucher 
plans that let you use Medicaid money. 

 Another similar, but less expensive option to look into 
is “board and care homes.” These offer many of the same 
services as assisted living facilities but in a much smaller 
home setting. 

 Your Area Aging Agency is again a good resource for 
finding these facilities, as are the previously listed senior 
housing locater websites. And for help choosing a facility, 
the Assisted Living Federation of America offers an 
excellent guide at alfa.org/checklist.

 Nursing homes: If your mom needs ongoing medical 
and personal care, a “nursing home,” which provides 24-
hour skilled nursing care, is the next option. To find a 
good one, use Medicare’s nursing home compare tool at 
medicare.gov/nursinghomecompare. But be aware that 
nursing home care is very expensive, costing anywhere 
between $4,500 and $11,000 per month depending on 
location. Most residents pay from either personal funds, 
a long-term care insurance policy, or through Medicaid 
after their savings are depleted. 

 Continuing-care retirement communities (CCRC’s): 
If your mom has the financial resources, a “CCRC” 
is another excellent option that provides all levels of 
housing (independent living, assisted living and skilled 
nursing home care) in one convenient location. But, 
these communities typically require a hefty entrance fee 
that can range from $20,000 to $500,000 or more, plus 
ongoing monthly service fees that vary from around 
$1,000 to over $5,000. For more information see carf.org/
aging. 

Need Help? 

Consider hiring an aging life care expert (aginglifecare.
org) who can evaluate your mom’s situation, and find 
appropriate housing for a fee – usually between $300 and 
$800. Or, you can use a senior-care advising service like 
A Place for Mom (aplaceformom.com, 866-344-8005) 
for free. (They get paid from the senior living facilities in 
their network.)

 Some other helpful resources include the National 
Clearinghouse for Long-Term Care Information 
(longtermcare.gov), and your State Health Insurance 
Assistance Program (shiptalk.org), which provides free 
counseling.

 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

MEMORIAL DAY TURKEY

I hope you all had a nice Memorial 
Day and enjoyed your traditional 
Memorial Day turkey! What? 
You didn’t roast a turkey for the 
occasion? Shoot, then I guess my 
husband and I were the only ones 
who did. Although we’ve been 
married nearly six years, we’d 
never roasted a turkey before. That is, until this past 
weekend. But our turkey didn’t start out as a Memorial 
Day turkey.

 Like most turkeys, ours was originally intended for 
Thanksgiving. Every year, we came up with excuses 
as to why we couldn’t, or shouldn’t, do a turkey. I can’t 
cook, and the kitchen in our old apartment was small. 
We moved into our house last February, which took care 
of excuse number two. So back in November we were at 
Ralph’s and the sight of all the frozen turkeys lined up in 
a bin inspired us to buy one. Even then we didn’t plan to 
roast it for Thanksgiving, since we were having dinner 
with our families, we accepted the challenge all the same. 
My husband checked the expiration date and discovered 
it could last a whole year. It took up comfortable residence 
in our freezer.

 It didn’t take long for us to get tired of having a fourth 
of our freezer taken up by the turkey, but since both of 
us work and are fairly busy on the weekends, the turkey 
languished next to the ice cube tray for months. We 
decided that a nice, restful three-day weekend would 
be the perfect opportunity to finally roast our long term 
guest. We took him (or her) out a few days in advance to 
thaw in the fridge.

 By Friday it seemed fairly soft to the touch --through 
the plastic anyway. My husband researched roasting 
methods and decided brining sounded good. We got 
the special Diamond Kosher salt and other infrequently 
used seasonings recommended by the “Food Network.” 
However, my husband then noticed that our turkey was 
“Enhanced.” “Enhanced, huh?” I asked. “Does that mean 
it wears a double D cup now?” He raised his eyebrows as 
if to say, “You’re not serious, right?” “It means it’s already 
marinated and we should just go ahead and bake it.” 

 Turkeys go through a complex transformation on their 
way from slaughter to main entrée. It gets a pop-up timer 
implanted in its shoulder and its legs are bound together 
with a plastic implement resembling hand cuffs that are 
anchored deep inside its body cavity. Freeing this plastic 
leg brace was a challenge not made easier by the fact that, 
although the skin was soft and pliable, the inner flesh 
was still rock hard. Although we weren’t supposed to 
rinse the turkey since the liquid it was hibernating in was 
the brining solution, we resorted to holding the turkey 
under running water in an attempt to melt away some 
of icebergs lurking inside. (Sorry! We tried to be water 
conscious!) Its cavity filled up with water and overflowed 
into the sink. I recalled those ads for antibacterial spray, 
the ones where they show all the swaths of bacteria on 
kitchen surfaces glowing like Christmas lights. After 
much work digging around the turkey’s knees, my 
husband dislodged the last remaining chunks of turkey 
juice and freed the legs from their plastic handcuffs. 

 Then came the rub –seasoning rub, that is. My husband 
really is a good sport and managed to massage a mixture 
of herbs and spices into all the nooks and crannies of 
the unwieldy bird. Turkeys get their revenge by being 
particularly clumsy to handle, shifting their weight in 
their sagging skin as soon as you get a grasp on a leg or 
wing. In doing so we discovered a few extra feathers that 
somehow made it through the packing plant. “Door 
prizes!” I exclaimed.

 We referred back to the instructions on the bag many 
times throughout the turkey’s preparation. It told us to 
remove the neck, giblets, and a gravy bag from the body 
cavity. It was like a treasure chest! Try as we did, we 
couldn’t find the giblets. It also didn’t help that neither 
of us were totally sure what giblets were supposed to 
look like. “It’s not that big in there,” my husband said. 
“There aren’t a lot of places for them to hide.” We gave up 
and figured that if we came across them it would be like 
finding a toy in a box of Cracker Jacks, only these were 
poultry organs. One of the “Food Network” chefs had 
suggested putting an apple inside with some cinnamon 
sticks for aromatics. We didn’t have cinnamon sticks, so 
I cut up an apple and sprinkled cinnamon on it before 
stuffing it inside. I think this was my only contribution 
to the turkey preparation! 

 When it was finally time to pop it in the oven we 
realized that with its legs free, the turkey overhung 
its baking dish. “Do we have anything bigger?” my 
husband asked. We searched for a larger container but 
found nothing. “Maybe I can put the ankle braces back 
on,” he said, fishing the plastic leg cuffs out of the sink. 
After a short struggle he refastened the legs in their 
restraints and stuck the rest of the contraption back in 
the cavity. By now we were ready for a break while the 
bird baked.

 For the next few hours we checked the turkey under 
the oven light and speculated on whether the drippings 
were burning, since “dry brined” birds supposedly don’t 
produce much liquid. But at the eleventh hour (not 
really, but it seemed like it) the turkey exuded a lot of juice 
and that we were able to use with the gravy pack. When 
my husband first freed the legs from the ankle cuffs and 
peered inside the cavity he exclaimed, “Oh my gosh! I 
found the giblets; they exploded!” But it turned out to 
only be the apple slices, a bit puffy from the heat. At last 
the turkey was ready to eat, and for first timers, it turned 
out fairly good! Nearly a week later we are almost done 
eating it, and have found all sorts of uses for cold and 
hot turkey. I suppose most people don’t have turkey for 
Memorial Day, but Benjamin Franklin originally wanted 
the turkey to be the national bird instead of the eagle, so 
it is patriotic in a way. We still haven’t come across the 
giblets, but we’re not quite done yet…


UPCOMING EXCURSIONS:


TRANSPORTATION CHANGES BEGINNING JUNE 1,2015

Beginning June 1, 2015 Dial-A-Ride services in Sierra Madre will operate Monday through Friday 
from 8:00am – 10:30am and 2:00pm – 5:00pm. Dial-A-Ride services are available to Sierra Madre 
residents that are 62 years of age or older, or have a signed form by a physician attesting to a 
disability that hinders mobility. The cost of a one-way fare is $2.00. Dial-A-Ride users must submit 
an application prior to using the service for the first time.

 Beginning June 1, 2015 the Gateway Coach fixed-route services operates Monday through Friday 
from 11:00am – 2:00pm. The Gateway Coach is free for anyone to use. The Gateway Coach stops at 
various points throughout the City including City parks, the library, City Hall, Senior Center, and 
schools. In addition the Gateway Coach stops in Hastings Ranch.

To download a copy of the new Sierra Madre Public Transportation Brochure, please visit the City’s 
website at www.cityofsierramadre.com/transportation. For additional information contact the 
Community Services Department at 626-355-7135.

626-355-5700245 West Sierra Madre BlvdSierra Madre, CA 91024www.TheKensingtonSierraMadre.comRCFE License198601953Expert Panel DiscussionManaging Challenging BehaviorsAssociated with Alzheimer’s Disease& Memory ImpairmentThursday, May 21, 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 EVENT AT THE KENSINGTONPleaseRSVP