Mountain Views News          Saturday, January 23, 2016

THE GOOD LIFE

11

Mountain Views-News Saturday, January 23, 2016 

SENIOR HAPPENINGS

COULD YOU HAVE COPD?


Dear Savvy Senior,

I have struggled with some shortness of breath 
for the past five years or so. I just thought I was 
getting older and out of shape, but a friend recently 
mentioned I may have COPD. What can you tell 
me about this?

Breathless Bob

Dear Bob,

COPD, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease 
is a serious lung disease that, over time, makes 
it hard to breathe. What’s more, an estimated 24 
million people have COPD today, but about half of 
them don’t know it.

 Many people mistake shortness of breath as a 
normal part of aging, or a result of being out of 
shape, but that’s not necessarily the case. COPD – 
a term used to describe a variety of lung diseases 
including emphysema and chronic bronchitis – 
develops slowly, so symptoms may not be obvious 
until damage has occurred.

 Common symptoms include: an ongoing cough 
or a cough that produces a lot of mucus; shortness 
of breath, especially during physical activity; 
wheezing; and chest tightness.

 Those most at risk are smokers or former 
smokers over age 40, and people who have had 
long-term exposure to other lung irritants like 
secondhand smoke, air pollution, chemical fumes 
and dust. There is also a rare genetic condition 
known as alpha-1-antitrypsin, or AAT deficiency 
that can increase the risks.

 If you’re experiencing any of the aforementioned 
symptoms, you need to get tested by your doctor. 
A simple breathing test called spirometry can tell 
if you have COPD, and if so, how severe it is. Early 
screening can also identify COPD before major 
loss of lung function occurs. 

 If you do indeed have COPD, you need to know 
that while there’s no cure, there are things you can 
do to help manage symptoms and protect your 
lungs from further damage, including:

 Quit smoking: If you smoke, the best thing you 
can do to prevent more damage to your lungs is 
to quit. To get help, the National Cancer Institute 
offers a number of smoking cessation resources at 
smokefree.gov or call 1-800-QUIT-NOW. Or ask 
your doctor about prescription antismoking drugs 
that can help reduce your nicotine craving.

 Avoid air pollutants: Stay away from things 
that could irritate your lungs like dust, allergens 
and strong fumes. Also, to help improve your air 
quality at home, remove dust-collecting clutter 
and keep carpets clean; run the exhaust fan when 
using smelly cleaning products, bug sprays or 
paint; ban smoking indoors; and keep windows 
closed when outdoor air pollution is high (see 
airnow.gov for daily air-quality reports).

 Guard against flu: The flu can cause serious 
problems for people who have COPD, so get a 
flu shot every fall and wash and sanitize your 
hands frequently to avoid getting sick. Also ask 
your doctor about getting the pneumococcal 
immunizations for protection against pneumonia. 

 Take prescribed medications: Bronchodilators 
(taken with an inhaler) are commonly used for 
COPD. They help relax the airway muscles to 
make breathing easier. Depending on how severe 
your condition, you may need a short-acting 
version only for when symptoms occur, or a long-
acting prescription for daily use. Inhaled steroids 
may also help reduce inflammation and mucus 
and prevent flare-ups.

 For more information, visit the COPD 
Foundation at copdfoundation.org or call the 
COPD information line at 866-316-2673.

 

 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.


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. 


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

“GREEN 
MANSIONS!”

 

Adults tend to idealize childhood 
things, only later to realize that 
they are not as impressive as they 
originally seemed. Your cavernous 
kindergarten classroom feels smaller, now that your 
own youngster has started school. Similarly, old 
pictures of people from your childhood can prompt 
exclamations like, “Wow, I thought Miss Humphrey 
was ancient at 37, but she looks pretty hot, now that I’m 
45!” An amusement park you visited as a kid was full of 
excitement and adventure. But 20 years later, it seems 
a little corny. My glamorized childhood memory was 
the (minor) motion picture “Green Mansions.”

 Growing up, my family never had TV in the usual 
sense. We had a TV set, but we were too cheap to get 
cable. So, I grew up watching a lot 
of videos of old movies. At school, 
I had no clue about the shows my 
classmates liked. However, I didn’t 
lust after the toys they saw advertized 
either. (My parents must’ve saved a 
lot of money this way!) While some 
films became as familiar as bedtime 
stories (“The Road” movies and “The 
Honeymooners”), others recorded 
from TV by my grandparents were 
only watched once or twice. This was 
either due to the bad quality of the 
recording or the bad quality of the 
movie in general. “Green Mansions” 
was one of those movies.

 Produced in 1959, “Green Mansions” 
starred Anthony Perkins and Audrey 
Hepburn. The story is set in Venezuela 
around the turn of the last century. 
Perkins is a disgruntled army defector 
in search of gold in the uncharted 
jungle. He eventually happens upon a 
tribe of South American natives (played by actors of 
different races, many sporting what looked like a bad 
tan).

 The chief, Sessue Hayakawa, looks just as Japanese 
as he did in “Bridge on the River Kwai.” But with a loin 
cloth, feathered arm bands, and a lot of imagination, 
he fits right in. After Perkins impresses Hayakawa 
with magical fire (a cigarette lighter) Hayakawa takes 
a liking to him, much to the dismay of his younger 
son, Henry Silva. This Silva tells Perkins that his older 
brother (the man who would be king) was killed by a 
mysterious woman in the jungle bordering their camp, 
and that is why Perkins is forbidden from searching for 
gold there. Ignoring these warnings, Perkins takes off 
into the brush at first light.

 “Jungle” is a loose term for the “Alice In Wonderland”-
meets-“Wizard of Oz” type of set created for this film. 
Perkins walks along an unusually smooth path through 
massive, waxy leaves and flowers. He hears the sound 
of a woman laughing as a fawn darts by. (You’ve heard 
of jungle fawns, haven’t you?) And suddenly –there’s 
Audrey Hepburn! 

 She’s wearing a gossamer dress, clearly constructed 
of forest fibers. She introduces herself and they talk 
about a special flower that only blooms for one day, 
and then dies. But she assures him there’s no reason to 
be sad about its dying. When the flower dies, another 
one is getting ready to bloom somewhere else in the 
jungle. 

 Hepburn brings Perkins back to meet her 
“grandfather,” Lee J. Cobb, with white hair and a 
mustache-and-beard stolen from a mall Santa. Cobb 
has raised Hepburn since infancy. He sounds like a 
regular American, but somewhere in the jungle she 
picked up a British accent. Perkins leaves for the 
village, but promises to return.

 Back at the ranch, Silva is angry at Perkins because, 
by Perkins coming out of the jungle in one piece, 
Hayakawa believes him to be an even greater warrior 
than his late son. Silva warns Perkins not to get too 
comfortable as Hayakawa’s new favorite, because the 
village will be hosting the right of passage ceremony 
for all the young men that night. 

 As I recalled this scene, it took 
place on a dark beach, thick with 
palm trees and roaring surf lapping 
at the villagers’ feet. The men wore 
exotic costumes as they danced 
around a raging bonfire. To prove 
their manhood, they had to endure 
a large wooden board covered with 
bees being pressed against their 
chest. The last one standing won.

 In reality, the set had barely any 
sand, dirt, or stones to suggest the 
outdoors. Harsh lighting didn’t 
help either. The boards had bees, 
but only half a dozen at most. 
Three very old-looking women 
hobbled over to Silva and two 
other youths. They pressed the 
boards against the men’s chests 
with all the mighty force you’d 
expect from a frail old lady. The 
two other guys quickly screamed 
and crumpled to the ground, but 
Silva maintained an icy stare ‘till the end. (You get the 
impression that he bribed or threatened the other two 
to give up quickly so that he would win.) 

 Perkins watches all this from a stake to which he 
was bound. (At some earlier point Silva persuaded 
Hayakawa that Perkins was no good.) Silva swaggers 
over to Perkins and informs him that his trial by bees 
has proven his supremacy as the ultimate warrior; and 
now he’s Hayakawa’s favorite again. Perkins better enjoy 
himself, Silva warns, because he’s going to kill him and 
the evil jungle woman the next morning. (It’s so helpful 
for the victim to have a schedule beforehand.)

 Several hours later the party has dissipated, and 
only one of the old bee ladies is left snoozing near 
Perkins. He wakes her up and gets her to give him 
something sharp, with which he frees himself. I forget 
how he persuaded her to do this, but what do minor 
details matter? Perkins rushes into the jungle to warn 
Hepburn and Cobb of Silva’s plot.

 I imagine the overwhelming suspense of our Hero’s 
fate has you falling off the edge of your seat right now. 
(Or not!) Stay tuned for Part II. 


SHARE SOME 

GOOD NEWS! 

 “The Kindness of Strangers” feature encourages readers 
to share their stories. I can assure you, they will be 
uplifting especially in contrast to all the the challenges 
and issues we have to deal with daily. So, if you have 
something you would like to share, please submit it to: editor@mtnviewsnews.com. It doesn’t 
matter where you were or when it happened. Share your good expeiences in hope that it might 
bring a little joy and/or inspire someone.

 

-Susan Henderson, Editor/Publisher MVNews


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