Mountain Views News          Saturday, January 16, 2016

THE GOOD LIFE

11

Mountain Views-News Saturday, January 16, 2016 

HOW TO FIND DISCOUNTS 

FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

SENIOR HAPPENINGS


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,

Are there any worthwhile discounts available to people with 
disabilities, and if so, how can I find them? My wife – who’s 
48 – has Multiple Sclerosis that now requires her to use a 
wheelchair.

Need to Save

Dear Need,

There are actually a wide variety of discounts and services 
available to people with disabilities and those living with 
a chronic illness that can literally save you hundreds and 
even thousands of dollars each year. Here are some tips to 
help you find them. 

Always Ask

The first thing to know is that most businesses that offer 
discounts to people with disabilities or their escorts don’t 
publicize them, so it’s important to always ask.

 Also note that most nonprofit organizations and 
government agencies that provide disabled services or 
benefits will require proof of disability through a letter 
from your doctor or some other form of verification before 
they will accommodate you.

Search Locally

 The disabled discounts available to your wife will vary 
depending on where you live, so a good place to start is to 
contact the local chapter of the nonprofit organization that 
specializes in your particular disease or disability – in your 
wife’s case that would be the National Multiple Sclerosis 
Society (nationalmssociety.org, 800-344-4867).

 Local chapters often know where to find discounts on 
the medical supplies, mobility equipment and support 
services. Some organizations have even negotiated special 
discounted rates with suppliers, and a few even provide 
subsidized equipment directly. 

 To search for other disability or disease specific 
organizations, use any Internet search engine, any type 
in your disease or disability followed by organizations – 
for example “Arthritis Organizations” or “Hearing Loss 
Organizations.”

Search Online

 DisabledDiscounts.com is one of the best resources for 
finding disabled discounts online. This is a free website that 
lists thousands of discounts in all 50 states. You search by 
state and county in 30 different categories ranging from 
assistive technology to federal and state tax discounts, 
entertainment to education and so much more.

 Also visit Benefits.gov and BenefitsCheckUp.org, two 
great sites that will help you look for financial assistance 
programs your wife and you may be eligible for, and will 
tell you how to apply. And see Disability.gov, a site that 
connects people with disabilities to helpful programs and 
services in your area.

Types of Discounts

 Here are a few examples of the different types of disabled 
discounts and services that are out there. 

 Recreation: Most movie theaters, museums, zoos, theme 
parks and aquariums provide reduced admission to people 
with disabilities or their escort. And, the National Park 
Service offers the “America The Beautiful Access Pass” 
(see nps.gov/findapark/passes.htm) to disabled residents, 
which provides a lifetime of free access into all national 
parks and federal recreational lands. 

 Taxes: There are numerous federal tax deductions and 
credits available to people with disabilities, and a number 
of states and counties also offer property tax deductions to 
disabled homeowners.

 Utilities: Many utility companies, including electric, 
gas, phone, water and trash services offer discounts to 
customers who are disabled, elderly or low income.

 Communication devices: 47 states have equipment 
distribution programs (see tedpa.org) that offer 
free amplified telephones to residents with hearing 
impairment.

 Home modifications: There are a number of federal, 
state, local and nonprofit organizations that help pay for 
home accessibility improvements like wheelchair ramps, 
handrails and grab bars for elderly and disabled people in 
need.

 Travel: Amtrak offers a 15 percent rail fare discount to 
adult passengers with a disability and up to one traveling 
companion.

 Reading services: For those with vision or physical 
impairments that make it difficult for them to read, the 
Library of Congress (see loc.gov/nls) offers a “Talking 
Books” program that provides free audiobooks, magazines 
and audio equipment. And the National Federation of the 
Blind offers a free newspaper and magazine reading service 
at nfbnewslineonline.org.

 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 GOAT’S GOT RHYTHM

If you’ve read my column for any 
length of time you’ll probably 
remember stories I’ve lifted from 
others (my mom’s friend, Florence, 
my dad’s cousin a.k.a. “The Most 
Interesting Man in the World,” 
etc.). This week it’s a story from Mom’s days teaching 
third grade at a public school and playing the piano for 
their glee club.

 I’ve never seen the show, “Glee,” but I’ve got a stinking 
suspicion it presents a picture of school glee clubs that’s 
infinitely more glamorous and interesting than they are 
in real life. In addition to the bona fide members who 
auditioned for the privilege, the glee club participants at 
Mom’s school included her homeroom 
students, some of whom did not have a 
musical bone in their body. One year, she 
taught them to tap dance --or at least that 
was the plan.

 With technical help from Dad, Mom 
distributed copies of a very old tap dance 
tutorial video for the children to practice 
at home (this was before You Tube). Half 
the class got it. We’ll refer to them as the 
“sheep.” The other half failed miserably. 
They were the “goats.” Mom tried to 
teach the goats to simply walk heel-to-toe 
to a beat. This, too, was beyond them. 
So, Mom gave them sparkly green St. 
Patrick’s Day hats and had them walk 
back and forth across the stage, vigorously 
shaking their hats. All this was to the tune 
of Gershwin’s “I Got Rhythm.” The goats 
were so bad that the music teacher did not include them 
in the regularly scheduled spring performance. They 
were allowed to be in a small show for the parents, but 
that was it. To make matters worse, one goat parent 
bought her son a very expensive pair of leather tap shoes. 
Mom felt that this child had to perform at least twice to 
make it worth the parent’s investment.

 So Mom called a couple other schools within walking 
distance to ask if they’d be interested in having her 
students perform their numbers for the student body. 
Days went by and no one responded. One fateful 
afternoon while Mom was leaving for the day, she noticed 
the voice mail light for her classroom phone flashing. 
Teaching is a draining job, and in her exhausted state, 
Mom would have normally left it until the next morning. 
But something told her to listen to the message, which 
turned out to be from the principal of one of the schools 
she had called. “Yes, we’d love to have your students 
perform for us! The entire school will be assembled to 
watch them TOMORROW MORNING at 9:00 (caps 
mine).”

 Mom was too busy calling the music teacher with this 
last minute change of plans to imagine what would’ve 
happened if she hadn’t listened to that message. As the 
music teacher likes things well organized in advance, this 
news didn’t go down well. Also, they had to pull students 
from other classes. Usually they put in a polite request 
several days in advance before taking the 
students. But that day they burst in, said 
“I’m taking Johnny and Suzy,” grabbed 
them, and took off.

 Then they all had to walk to the other 
school. This may sound simple, but 
the school is in Monterey Park, which 
isn’t exactly the safe driving capital. 
Eventually they arrived, did their thing, 
and left. Disaster avoided. However, 
there was still the parent show to get 
through. All this time Mom had been 
playing their two songs, “I Got Rhythm” 
(which, for the goats, was a bold face lie) 
and “Sidewalks of New York” on a CD in 
a stereo. For some reason, the CD decided 
it didn’t like the player being used for the 
parent show. 

 There they were, all the parents, 
grandparents, and other relatives in folding chairs under 
the hot sun waiting while different teachers scrambled to 
find other boom boxes to play the CD in. Finally one of 
the more flamboyant teachers offered to help Mom out. 
“I don’t know the lyrics,” he explained, “but I can make 
myself sound like a kazoo.” So the goats walked back 
and forth, waving their hats to the sound of a grown man 
imitating a kazoo to the tune of “I Got Rhythm.” This is 
an example of the flexibility needed if one plans to work 
in public education. In the end the parents were happy, 
especially the goat mother with the leather tap shoes. Oh 
by the way, the CD worked as soon as Mom put it in the 
stereo in her own classroom, go figure!

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
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