Mountain Views News          Saturday, January 9, 2016

10

THE GOOD LIFE

Mountain Views-News Saturday, January 9, 2016 

SENIOR HAPPENINGS

HOW TO MAKE YOUR KITCHEN 

SAFER AND EASIER TO USE


HAPPY BIRTHDAY! …January Birthdays*

 Gerald Day, Mary Tassop, JudyWebb-Martin, John Johnson, Mary Bickel, Marlene 
Enmark, Ross Kellock, Ruth Wolter, Sue Watanabe, Sandy Thistlewaite, Bobbi 
Rahmanian, Fran Syverson, Shirley Wolff, Judy Zaretzka and Becky Evans. 

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

...................................................................

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

 

 

 ACTIVITIES AT THE SENIOR CENTER

 YWCA San Gabriel Valley - Intervale Senior Cafe 

Seniors 60 years of age and up can participate in the YWCA Intervale daily lunch program held 
at the Hart Park House Senior Center. Meals are served Monday through Friday at 12:00 pm 
and participants are encouraged to arrive by 11:45 am. Meals are a suggested donation of $3.00 
for seniors 60 and over or $5.00 for non-senior guests. Daily reservations are necessary, space is 
limited. Please reserve your lunch by calling 626-355-0256.

Tech Talk: Held on Monday, January 25th from 1:30-2:30pm. Learn how to use your new 
technology devises. Please reserve your space with the Hart Park House by calling 626-355-7394. 

 

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. 

 

Brain Games: Thursday, January 21st, 10:30am - 11:30am, improve your memory and strengthen 
your brain. Activities facilitated by Hugo, Community Liaison for New Wave Home care of 
Pasadena. 

 

Free Legal Consultation: Wednesday, January 27th from 10:30am to Noon. Attorney Lem 
Makupson is available for legal consultation. He specializes in Family Law, Wills, Trusts, Estates, 
and Injury. Appointment are required by calling 626-355-7394. 

Balance Class: No Balance Class due to Martin Luther King Holiday. 

 

Chair Yoga: Mondays and Wednesdays from 11:00 to 11:45 am. A suggested donation of $5 at one 
of the classes is requested, but is not required. 

 

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 at the Hart Park House. The free 
birthday cake is provided by the Sierra Madre Civic Club. 

 

Game Day: Every Thursday starting at 12:00pm. (Please note the time change.) 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. 

 

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. 


Dear Savvy Senior,

What tips can you recommend for making a kitchen 
senior-friendly? My wife, who loves to cook, has had 
several kitchen-related accidents over the past year, 
which is why we would like to modify to make it safer 
and more practical. 

Hungry Husband

Dear Hungry, 

There are a number of simple modifications and 
inexpensive add-ons that can make a big difference in 
making your kitchen more age-friendly. Depending 
on your wife’s needs, here are some tips for each 
aspect of the kitchen.

 Floors: If you have kitchen throw rugs, to reduce 
tripping or slipping, replace them with non-skid 
floor mats or consider gel mats, which are cushiony 
and more comfortable to stand on for long periods. 
GelPro.com and WellnessMats.com offer a nice 
selection.

 Lights: If the lighting in her kitchen is dim, replace 
the old overhead fixture with a bright new ceiling 
light, and add under-cabinet task lighting to brighten 
up her kitchen countertops.

 Cabinets and drawers: To reduce bending or 
reaching, organize your kitchen cabinets and drawers 
so that the items you most frequently use are within 
comfortable reach. You can also make your cabinets 
and pantry easier to access by installing pullout 
shelves or lazy susans. And D-shaped pull-handles 
for the cabinets and drawers are also recommended 
because they’re more comfortable for arthritic hands 
to grasp than knobs.

 Faucet: If you have a twist-handle kitchen faucet, 
replace it with an ADA compliant single handle 
faucet. They’re easier to use, especially for seniors 
with arthritis or limited hand strength. There are 
also kitchen faucets on the market today (like the 
Delta Touch20 faucet and Moen MotionSense) that 
will turn themselves on and off by simply touching 
the base or moving your hand over a motion sensor. 
And, for safety purposes, set your hot water tank at 
120 degrees to prevent possible water burns. 

 Microwave and stove: If your microwave is 
mounted above the stove, consider moving it to a 
countertop. This makes it safer and easier to reach. 
And if you’re concerned about your wife remembering 
to turn the stove off, there are automatic stove shut-
off devices you can purchase and install to prevent 
a fire. See cookstop.com, stoveguardintl.com and 
pioneeringtech.com for some different options.

 If you’re looking to upgrade some of your appliances 
too, here are some different senior-friendly features 
you should look for when shopping.

 Refrigerator and freezer: Side-by-side doors work 
well for seniors because the frequently used items 
(refrigerated and frozen) can be placed at mid-shelf 
range for easy access. Pullout adjustable height 
shelves and a water/ice dispenser on the outside of 
door are also very convenient.

 Stove or cooktop: Look for one with controls in 
the front so you won’t have to reach over hot burners 
to turn it off, and make sure the controls are easy 
to see. Flat surface electric or induction burners, or 
continuous grates on gas stoves are also great for 
sliding heavy pots and pans from one burner to the 
next. And ask about automatic shut off burners. 

 Oven: Self-cleaning ovens are a plus, and consider 
a side-swing door model. They’re easier to get into 
because you don’t have to lean over a hot swing-down 
door. Also consider a wall-mounted oven, installed at 
your wife’s preferred height to eliminate bending. 

 Dishwasher: Consider a dishwasher drawer that 
slides in and out, and is installed on a 6 to 10-inch 
raised platform. These require less bending to load 
and unload. 

 Washer and dryer: Front-load washers and dryers 
with pedestals that raise the height 10 to 15 inches are 
also back-savers and easy to access. 

 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

HOSE DRINKERS

How are your New Year’s 
resolutions going? I set my sights 
small, and resolved to drink less 
creamy and sugary coffee at 
work. Instead, I mix an aspartame-laden “Crystal 
Light” knock off with water in a two-liter bottle 
and sip it throughout the day. Sure, it’s artificial 
and possibly carcinogenic, but at least it’s gotta be 
better than sugar with coffee --I mean coffee with 
sugar.

 So, I was filling my water bottle from the sink 
in the break room the other day when the boss 
burst through the door. “What 
are you doing?” she asked. 
Aghast, I sheepishly looked up 
from the faucet. “Uh, getting 
water?”

 “No, no, no!” she said, 
shaking her head. “Come on,” 
she motioned toward her office, 
“Use the ‘Arrowhead’ in there.” 
I could feel water overflowing 
from my bottle into the sink, 
and nodded, “Okay, maybe 
next time.” I figured, why 
waste a perfectly good batch of 
flavored water? Luckily, some 
small crisis distracted my boss 
and I was able to retreat to my 
office with my substandard 
“faucet water” drink.

 For a while I wondered if I 
was the only tap water-drinking employee until 
last week, when the topic of tap vs. bottled water 
came up during lunch. “I was a hose drinker as a 
kid!” one of the senior workers joked with the boss. 
This prompted a number of us closet hose drinkers 
to “come out” and admit our tacky-”tap” habits.

 “Yeah,” one of my coworkers chimed in, 
“Nothing tastes better than cold water from the 
hose after playing outside all day!” A number of 
us reminisced about our own tap water childhood 
memories.

 I don’t know about you, but I never understood 
the purpose of bottled water. Talk about the 
antithesis of “green” living! Think about all the 
plastic used to store bottled water. Then consider 
the fuel needed to transport it from place to place. 
THEN consider the fact the most bottled water is 
drawn from municipal sources, not the babbling 
brooks of the Sierras, Andes, or any other pristine 
locale.

 The waste that goes into producing regular 
bottled water is bad enough, but then they’ve got 
to go and make even smaller 
bottles of water! What? You 
or your kid can’t commit to 
a 12 oz. bottle, so you go for 
the tiny 6 oz.? Yes, midget 
water bottles are cute, but 
really, can cute be justified at 
the cost of jeopardizing the 
environment?

 I understand that there 
are situations that demand 
bottled water. Anytime 
you’re traveling in the third 
world or a developing nation, 
by all means, stock up on 
Dasani or whatever brand 
you like. During a vacation 
to Michigan, we stayed at 
a relative’s house that was 
situated in the middle of a 
corn field. The water had an orange tint, and 
smelled like burning sulfur. I don’t recall whether 
or not I actually showered in it, but that was one 
time I was very grateful for a bottle of Arrowhead!

 So, if you’re traveling, take advantage of our 
wonderful advances in bottled water. But if you’re 
torn between filling up at the kitchen sink or paying 
$1 for a bottle of Dasani, I hope you choose the 
sink. It’s a heck of a lot cheaper. And remember 
--what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger!

SENIOR CINEMA • 1ST AND 3RD WEDNESDAY

Shown at the Hart Park House Senior Center 

 

January 6 - To Catch a Thief (1955) 

 

Notorious cat burglar John Robie (Cary Grant) has long since retired to tend vineyards on 
the French Riviera. When a series of robberies is committed in his style, John must clear his 
name. Armed with a list of people who own the most expensive jewels currently in the area, 
john begins following the first owner, young Francie (Grace Kelly). When her jewels are stolen, 
Francie suspects John, destroying their tentative romance. John goes on the lam to catch the 
thief and clear his own name. 

 

Rated PG. Start time 1:00pm (run time 1h 46m) 

 

January 20 - St. Vincent (2014) 

 

Maggie (Melissa McCarthy), a struggling single woman, moves to Brooklyn with her 12-year-
old son, Oliver (Jaeden Lieberher). Having to work very long hours, she has no choice but to 
leave Oliver in the care of Vincent (Bill Murray), a bawdy misanthrope next door. Vincent takes 
Oliver along on his trips to the race track, strip club and dive bar, and an unlikely friendship is 
born. Oliver sees the good in Vincent that no one else can. 

 

Rated PG-13. Start time 1:00pm (run time 1h 43m) 


626-355-5700245 West Sierra Madre BlvdSierra Madre, CA 91024www.TheKensingtonSierraMadre.comRCFE License198601953At first, Dad and I didn’tsee eye to eye about moving toThe Kensington, but sincehe did, we’re both thrilledLimited Senior Living Suites Still AvailableCall or Visit to Reserve Yours Today