Mountain Views News, Pasadena Edition [Sierra Madre] Saturday, September 2, 2017

THE GOOD LIFE

WHAT TO DO WITH CREMATED ASHES?

10

Mountain Views-News Saturday, September 2, 2017 

SENIOR HAPPENINGS

CHECK-IN SERVICES THAT CAN HELP 

SENIORS STAY PUT


HAPPY BIRTHDAY! ….September Birthdays

Clem Bartolai, Pat Hall, Donna Anderson, Teresa Chaure, Cathy Gunther, Esther 
Macias, Sheila Pierce, Nancy Sue Shollenberger, Yvonne Osti, Patti O’Meara, Judie 
Cimino, Mary Steinberg, Geri Wright, Parvin Dabiri, Denise Reistetter and Nehama 
Warner. 

* 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

 

 

Hawaiian & Polynesian Dance Class: Every Tuesday morning from 10a.m. 
to 11a.m. Join instructor Barbara Dempsey as she leads you in the art of Hula.

Bingo Time: Every Tuesday beginning at 1:00p.m. Cards are only $0.25 each! Everyone is welcome 
to join. May be canceled if less than five people.

Free Blood Pressure Testing: 2nd Tuesdays of the month from 11a.m. to 12p.m. No appt. is 
necessary.

Brain Games - *New Activity*: Join us on Thursday July 20th, at 10:30a.m. to 11:30a.m for 
Scattergories. A creative thinking game by naming objects within a set of categories. Everyone 
is welcome, no experience needed. Great way to strengthen your brain and make new friends. 
Activities are facilitated by Senior Volunteers.

Free Legal Consultation: Wednesday, August 16th from 10:30a.m. to Noon. Attorney Lem 
Makupson is available for legal consultation. Specializing in Family Law, Wills, Trusts, Estates, and 
Injury. Appointments are required by calling 626-355-7394.

Senior Club: Meets every Saturday at the Hart Park House Senior Center. Brown Bag Lunch at 
11:30a.m.

Chair Yoga: Mondays & Wednesdays from 11:00 to 11:45a.m. with Paul Hagen. 3rd Mondays of each 
month, a variety of balance exercises are practiced.All ability levels are encouraged and welcomed!

*A suggested donation of $5 at one of the classes is requested, but is not required.

Case Management: Case Management Services are provided by the YWCA and offer assistance in 
a variety of areas. Appointments are required and can be scheduled by calling the Hart Park House 
Office at 626-355-7394.

Birthday Celebrations: Every 2nd Thursday of the month at the Hart Park House, share some free 
birthday cake provided by the Sierra Madre Civic Club.

Game Day: Every Thursday starting at 12:00p.m. Come join this group of Seniors in their poker 
game. Other games are offered to all.

Free Strength Training Class: Fridays from 12:45p.m. to 1:30p.m. with Lisa Brandley. This energetic 
class utilizes light weights for low impact resistance and training conditioning. All class materials are 
provided.

AUGUST EXCURSION

Gondola Getaway in Long Beach

Date: Friday, August 25th

Time: 9:15a.m. to 2:30p.m.

Cost: $35.00 (Not including Lunch)

Gondola Getaway brings old world charm and a thousand year old tradition to Southern California. 
Authentic Venetian Gondolas gently cruise the enchanting canals and waterways of Naples Island, near 
the resort area of Belmont Shore in Long Beach. It’s a unique way to enjoy the architecture of Naples 
Canals and its beautiful homes and yachts. The cruise is approximately one hour. Lunch is on your own 
around 2nd Street, Belmont Shore District with many dining options and shops. Level of Walking: 
Medium; please call the Hart Park House for reservations at 626-355-7394.

Draw from History with Kt Boyce - Free Art Class -

Monday, August 28th at 12:30p.m. – 1:30p.m. at Hart Park House

Join us as we use color pencils to learn color theory and value. Portraits of Sierra Madre’s heroe are ready for you 
to shade and bring them back to life as we enjoy learning about their history. Kt will read the bios of Geronimo 
and Lucky Baldwin and a few others. Participants will reflect on their legacy, how things have changed, and 
others stayed the same in Sierra Madre. All art materials and supplies will be provided freely, however spaces 
are also limited. Reservations are required to save your spot! Please call the Hart Park House 626-355-7394.

SENIOR CINEMA -

THE IRON LADY

 August 16th at 1:00p.m.

Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (Meryl Streep) reflects 
on her life and career as she finally prepares to dispose of the belongings of 
her later husband. Daughter of a Grantham grocer, she successfully broke 
through a double-paned glass ceiling of gender and class. Thatcher became 
the first female prime minister of the United Kingdom and remained as such 
for 11 years, until declining popularity forced her to resign. Run time: 1h 
45m.

Dear Savvy Senior,

Are there any services you know of that check in 
on elderly seniors who live alone. I worry about 
my 84-year-old father falling or having a medical 
emergency, and not being able to get to the phone 
to call for help. And he won’t wear a lifeline 
help-button.

Desperate Daughter

Dear Desperate,

Depending on where your dad lives, there 
are check-in call services, volunteer visiting 
programs, and a variety of technology options 
you can turn to that can help you keep tabs on 
him. Here are several to check into. 

Daily Check-in Calls

 To make sure your dad is OK every day, 
consider signing him up with a daily check-
in call service program. These are telephone 
reassurance programs run by police or sheriff’s 
departments in hundreds of counties across the 
country and are usually provided free of charge. 

 Here’s how they work. A computer automated 
phone system would call your dad at a designated 
time each day to check-in. If he answers, the 
system would assume everything is OK. But 
if he didn’t pick up or if the call goes to voice 
mail after repeated tries, you (or whoever his 
designee is) would get a notification call. If you 
are not reachable, calls are then made to backup 
people who’ve also agreed to check on your dad 
if necessary.

 The fallback is if no one can be reached, the 
police or other emergency services personnel 
will be dispatched to his home.

 To find out if this service is available in 
your dad’s community, call his local police 
department’s nonemergency number.

 If, however, the police or sheriff’s department 
in your dad’s community doesn’t provide a daily 
check-in call program, there are a number of 
companies you can turn to that offer similar 
services offered directly to consumers for under 
$15 per month. Some to check into include the 
CARE senior calling program (Call-Reassurance.
com), CareCheckers (CareCheckers.com) and 
IAmFine (Iamfine.com).

Volunteer Visiting Programs

Another option you may also want to investigate 
is volunteer visiting programs, which are usually 
run by churches, community groups, or social 
service agencies.

 These programs provide volunteers who 
will visit an older adult in their home usually 
for an hour or two once a week, providing 
companionship as well as the reassurance that 
someone is checking in on a regular basis. They 
can also alert you if they notice your dad’s health 
or living conditions start to decline.

 To find out if these services are available, 
check with local churches or the area agency on 
aging near your dad – call the Eldercare Locator 
at 800-677-1116 for contact information.

Technology Solutions

 Technology also offers a number of ways to 
help keep your dad safe at home, and help you 
keep an eye on him from afar. For example, for 
safety and peace of mind there are medical alert 
systems, which provide a wearable “help button” 
that would allow him to call for help anytime he 
needed it. Some of these systems (like Bay Alarm 
Medical, BayAlarmMedical.com) also offer wall-
mounted buttons that can be placed near the 
floor in high fall risk areas like the bathroom or 
kitchen, if he didn’t wear a help button.

 And to help you keep daily tabs on your dad, 
there are wireless sensor-monitoring systems 
(like Silver Mother, Sen.se/silvermother) you 
could put in his home that will notify you if 
something out of the ordinary is happening; and 
video monitoring cameras (like the Nest Cam, 
Nest.com/camera) that have built-in motion and 
sound detection that will let you know when 
something is detected, and two-way audio that 
will let you talk and listen to him.

 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.


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