Mountain Views News, Sierra Madre Edition [Pasadena] Saturday, November 19, 2016

THE GOOD LIFE

9

Mountain Views-News Saturday, November 19, 2016 

SENIOR HAPPENINGS

CAREGIVING TIPS FOR 

LONG-DISTANCE CAREGIVERS


HAPPY BIRTHDAY! ….November Birthdays*

Flo Mankin, Alberta Curran, Carmela Frontino, Kathy Wood, Lena Zate, Joe 
Pergola, Janice Kacer, Valerie Howard, “Mike” Ruggles, Joan Ruggles, Lois Stueck, 
Jean Wood, Shirley Yergeau, Kathi Jefferson, Pat Krok, Irene Nakagawa, Anna Ross, 
Mary Steinberg and Sue Quinn. 

* 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.

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

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

 

 

 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: Will resume in the fall. 

Hawaiian and Polynesian Dance Class: Every Tuesday morning from 10:00 - 11:00am. Join instructor 
Barbara Dempsey as she instructs you in the art of hula. 

Bingo: Every Tuesday beginning at 1:00 pm. Cards are only $0.25 each! Everyone is welcome to join. 
May be cancelled if less than 5 people. 

Free Blood Pressure Testing: 2nd Tuesday of the month from 11:00am - 12:00 pm. No appt. necessary. 

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

Case Management: Meets the second 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 12:00 pm. (Please note the time change.) A regular group of 
seniors play poker. Other games available for use. 

 Free Strength Training Class: Every Friday from 12:45 - 1:30 pm 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. 

LUNCH AND LEARN

Thurday, October 27th, 11:00am - 1:30pm

Medicare Annual Election Period is here. If you have any questions on your health plans, please 
come to the Medicare Resource Table at the Hart Park House on October 27th from 11:00 a.m. 
to 1:30 p.m. A licensed representative will be available to answer questions as well as gather 
information. No appointment necessary.

SENIOR EXCURSION - 

NOVEMBER EXCURSION

GRABER OLIVE HOUSE (ONTARIO)

Date: Wednesday, November 9th, 2016 
Time: 9:45am - 2:30pm 
Meeting Location: Hart Park House 
Cost: $10.00 (Does not include lunch)

Description: Founded in 1894, the historic Graber Olive House 
is located in a pleasant residential area north of Ontario’s 
Business District. Here in quiet and serene surroundings, 
visitors are welcomed and delighted to discover a bit of early California. Participants will take a guided 
tour of the facility and may browse leisurely in the gift shop which feature Graber Olives, fine goods, 
and gifts. Lunch will be on your own at Molly’s Souper. Please bring money for lunch and souvenirs if 
desired. Level of walking: Medium. Please call the Hart Park House 626-355-7394.


Dear Savvy Senior,

Can you recommend any long-distance caregiving tips 
that can help me help my elderly father who lives in 
another state? He has physically declined over the past 
year, but is determined to stay living in his own house. 

Worried Daughter

Dear Worried,

Providing care and support for an aging parent who 
lives far away can be very difficult and stressful. Here 
are some tips and resources that can help.

When it comes to monitoring and caring for an aging 
parent from afar, you have a couple options. You can 
either hire a professional to oversee your dad’s needs, or 
you can manage things yourself by building a support 
system, tapping into available resources, and utilizing 
technology devices that can help you keep tabs on him.

Professional Help

If your dad needs a lot of help, you should consider 
hiring an “aging life care professional” who will give 
him a thorough assessment to identify his needs, and 
will set up and manage all aspects of his care. These 
professionals typically charge between $100 and $200 
per hour, and are not covered by Medicare.

 To find a professional in your dad’s area, ask his doctor 
for a referral or visit the Aging Life Care Association 
website at AgingLifeCare.org.

Do-It-Yourself

If your dad only needs occasional help, or if you can’t 
afford to use a care manager, here are some things you 
can do yourself to help him.

 Assemble a support system: Put together a network 
of people (nearby friends or family, neighbors, clergy, 
etc.) who can check on your dad regularly, and who 
you can call on from time to time for occasional help. 
Also put together a list of reliable services you can call 
for household needs like lawn care, handyman services, 
plumber, etc.

 Tap local resources: Most communities offer a 
range of free or subsidized services that can help 
seniors with basic needs such as home delivered meals, 
transportation, senior companion services and more. 
Contact the Area Aging Agency near your dad – call 
800-677-1116 for contact information – to find out 
what’s available. 

 Use financial aids: If your dad needs help with his 
financial chores, arrange for direct deposit for his 
income sources, and set up automatic payments for his 
utilities and other routine bills. You may also want to set 
up your dad’s online banking service, so you can pay 
bills and monitor his account anytime. Or, if you need 
help, hire a daily money manager (aadmm.com) to do it 
for you. They charge between $25 and $100 per hour.

 Benefitscheckup.org is another excellent resource to 
look for financial assistance programs that may help 
your dad, particularly if he’s lower-income. 

 Hire in-home help: Depending on your dad’s needs, 
you may need to hire a part-time home-care aide that 
can help with things like preparing meals, housekeeping 
or personal care. Costs can run anywhere from $12 up 
to $25 per hour. 

 To find someone, ask for referrals through your 
dad’s doctor or area hospital discharge planners, or try 
websites like Care.com, CareLinx.com, CareFamily.
com or CareSpotter.com.

 Utilize technology: To help you keep tabs on your 
dad and manage his care from afar, there are various 
technologies that can help. 

 For example, there are motion sensors (like Silver 
Mother - sen.se/silvermother) and video cameras (nest.
com/camera) that can help you make sure he is moving 
around the house normally; computerized pillboxes 
(medminder.com) that will notify you if he forgets to take 
his medication; simplified computer tablets (grandpad.
net) that provide important face-to-face video calls; 
and a variety of websites that can help you coordinate 
care (lotsahelpinghands.com) and medical information 
(reunioncare.com) with other family members.

 For more tips, call the National Institute on Aging 
at 800-222-2225 and order their free booklet “Long-
Distance Caregiving: Twenty Questions and Answers.” 

 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

TURKEY ADVENTURES

Well, another Thanksgiving is upon 
us, and I, for one, have much to be 
thankful for! One thing I’m especially 
thankful for is that I never have to 
cook on Thanksgiving. The most my 
family ever expects of me is a salad or some other low key 
dish. But that didn’t stop my husband and I from attempting 
to prepare a turkey over Memorial Day weekend a couple 
years ago. I hope you enjoy this lightly recycled article, and 
that you have a wonderful Thanksgiving. At the very least, 
you will feel much more competent in your abilities as a cook 
by comparison!

 Like most turkeys, our Memorial Day bird 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. 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 or something?” 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 table. It gets a pop-up timer implanted in its 
shoulder and its legs are bound together with a plastic ring 
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. Since we weren’t supposed 
to rinse the turkey becuase 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 
the 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 that show 
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 frozen 
turkey juice and freed the legs from their plastic handcuffs. 

 Then came the rub –seasoning rub, that is. My husband 
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 grip 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 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 hunt! 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. This was my sole contribution to the 
turkey preparation other than moral support. 

 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 were almost done eating it, and 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…


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com