Mountain Views News, Sierra Madre Edition [Pasadena] Saturday, September 30, 2017

WHAT TO DO WITH CREMATED ASHES? 
Mountain Views-News Saturday, September 30, 2017 10 THE GOOD LIFE THE GOOD LIFE 
A CHEAP DEATH: HOW TO DONATE YOUR BODY 



TO SCIENCE 

Dear Savvy Senior,
What can you tell me about body donationprograms? With little to no savings, I’m lookingfor a free or cheap way to dispose of my bodyafter I die. 

Old and Broke 

Dear Broke, 
If you’re looking to eliminate your funeral andburial costs, as well as help advance medicalresearch, donating your body to science is agreat option to consider. Here’s what you shouldknow. 

Body DonationsIt’s estimated that each year, at least 20,000people donate their whole body, after death,
to medical facilities throughout the country tobe used in medical research projects, anatomylessons and surgical practice.

After using your body, these facilities will thenprovide free cremation – which typically costs$600 to $4,000 – and will either bury or scatteryour ashes in a local cemetery or return them toyour family, usually within a year or two.

And, just in case you’re wondering, yourfamily will not be paid for the use of your body.
Federal and state laws prohibit it.

Here are a few other things you need to knowand check into, to help you determine whetherwhole-body donation is right for you:

Acceptance rules: Most body donation 
programs will not accept bodies that areextremely obese, or those that have infectiousdiseases like hepatitis, tuberculosis, H.I.V. or 
MRSA. Bodies that suffered extensive trauma 
won’t be accepted either.

Organ donation: Most programs require thatyou donate your whole body in its entirety.
So if you want to be an organ donor (with theexception of your eyes), you won’t qualify to be awhole body donor too.

Special requests: Most programs will not allowyou to donate your body for a specific purpose.
You give them the body and they decide how touse it. 

Memorial options: Most programs requirealmost immediate transport of the body afterdeath, so there’s no funeral. If your family wantsa memorial service they can have one withoutthe body. Or, some programs offer memorialservices at their facility at a later date without 

 
If you who follow my column,
you know that often I’m oftenguilty of recycling old articleswhen I don’t have anythingfresh or interesting to turn in.
And sometimes I’m even so 
bad as to not submit anything 

at all! Lately I’ve committed both crimes. Myonly excuse is that I’ve been suffering frominsomnia. I actually tried to recycle an old story,
which I believed was called “Insomniacs Unite,” 
but I can’t find it 

the remains. 
Body transporting: Most programs will cover
transporting your body to their facility within
a certain distance. However, some may charge. 


What To Do 
If you think you want to donate your body, it’s
best to make arrangements in advance with
a body donation program in your area. Most 
programs are offered through university-
affiliated medical schools. To find one near you,
the University of Florida maintains a list of


U.S. programs and their contact information atAnatbd.acb.med.ufl.edu/usprograms.
In addition to the medical schools, there are 
also private organizations like BioGift (BioGift.
org) and Science Care (ScienceCare.com) thataccept whole body donations too. Some of theseorganizations will even allow organ donationbecause they deal in body parts as well as wholecadavers. 

If you don’t have Internet access, you can gethelp by calling the National Family Service Desk,
which operates a free body donation referralservice during business hours at 800-727-0700.

Once you locate a program in your area,
call and ask them to mail you an information/
registration packet that will explain exactly howtheir program works.

To sign up, you’ll simply need to fill out acouple of forms and return them. But, you canalways change your mind by contacting the 
program and removing your name from theirregistration list. Some programs may ask thatyou make your withdrawal in writing.
After you’ve made arrangements, you’ll needto tell your family members so they will knowwhat to do and who to contact after your death.
It’s also a good idea to tell your doctors, so theyknow your final wishes too.

Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior,

P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit 
SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor tothe NBC Today show and author of “The SavvySenior” book.
INSOMNIACS UNITE --AGAIN! 


open and see that it’s now 5:00. Panic sets in. 
Oh my gosh, if I don’t fall asleep right now I’llbe a zombie at work. And it’s Monday! What if 
I can’t sleep tomorrow night either? Then I’ll be 
an even worse zombie on Tuesday. Aghhh!!!

I made it through Monday at work in one piece--for the most part. But the anxiety started tomount as Monday night rolled around. I’d alreadytried all the little tricks you read about in the weehours of the morning when you can’t sleep. One 
of my parents’ neighbors even recommended 

a free app 

on my PC. It’s 

with “sleep 

so old I must’ve 

stories” that are 

saved it in some 

supposed to 

weird place. I 

bore you into a

was able to 

deep slumber. 

find the picture

“I’ve listened 

that went with 

to ‘Lavender 

it though. It’s 

Fields’ at least 

from 2012. The 

three times and 

only reason I 

I’ve never made 

know this is 

it to the end. 

because I put a

I’ve fallen asleep

copyright stamp

each time,” our 

on it, something

friend proudly 

I was doing very

shared.

briefly long, 

 I had my try

long ago. So, 

with “Lavender 

since I can’t 

Fields.” After 

find my original

a few moments 

“Insomniacs 

I recognized 

Unite” piece, 

the narrator’s 

I must write 

voice as that 


a whole, new 
story! Aren’t you the lucky ones!


 Anyway, I’ve had pretty bad insomnia for acouple months now. My mom used to sufferfrom insomnia, for about a year and a half.
When she was in the throws of it my dad andI were very frustrated because we couldn’t helpher. Now I know just how she feels.

 On the first night I bolted awake around 3:00.
After lying awake for some time I tried to relaxby deep breathing. Then I found myself thinking 
about all the things I had to do for work. 
Through great mental effort I put away thoughtsof work, only to find myself concentrating onthat fact that I was still awake. I looked at the 
clock again, 4:15. It’s okay, I thought, if I fallasleep this instant I can still get some rest beforemy alarm goes off at 5:50. Ha! You know how 
this is going to turn out.

I lie very quietly, intently thinking about 
nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. My mind 
is a blank slate. This is no good. My eyes pop 

of Steven Fry. 
That must be him, I thought. Next I was on 
the app to check if I was right. Yup, there was 
his name and picture. Oh look! Another of 
the narrators is that British actor on “Game 
of Thrones.” Darn it, this totally defeats thepurpose of trying to fall asleep. I put the phoneback on the bed stand and try to let Steven Frybore me to death with some tale of a tourist’s 
visit to a lavender field in Province and then 
to the nearby abby, where the lavender oilis extracted using techniques developed bymonastic monks centuries ago. The storyends by Steven Fry convincing the listener thathe or she is relaxing to the soothing scent oflavender. For me, it ended with my wishing Ihad a jug of lavender oil, just to see if it wouldhelp any more than the sleep story had.

 For now, I can’t endorse the sleep stories, nomatter how sonorous those Brits sound. If I find 
anything fool proof for a good nights sleep I’lllet you know. 

SENIOR HAPPENINGS 


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, MarySteinberg, 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. to11a.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. 


UPCOMING EXCURSIONS: 

SEPTEMBER EXCURSION 

RILEY'S at Los Rios Rancho in Oak Glen 

Date: Wednesday, September 27th

Time: 10:30a.m. to 5:00p.m.

Cost: $40.00 (including Lunch)

Enjoy the scenic beauty and breathe in the crisp, clean mountain air whileenjoying your country meal at the oldest and largest ranch in Oak Glen. Lunch includes slow roasted Tri-
Tip and BBQ chicken, potato salad, biscuit with apple butter, and a slice of apple pie or crisp for dessert.
Entertainment by Riley’s Mountaineers singing some of your favorites from bygone times. After your lunch,
enjoy a 20 minute tour of the historic 1906 Packing House. The Farm Store will be open for shopping. Levelof Walking: Low–Medium; Please call us at the Hart Park House for reservations at (626) 355-7394. 

SENIOR CINEMA 


September 20th at 1:00p.m.

Fences (2016)

Troy Maxson (Denzel Washington) makes his living as a sanitation worker in the 1950’s. He dreamedof becoming a professional baseball player but was too old when the major leagues began admittingblack athletes. He creates further tension in his family when he squashes his son’s chance to meet aCollege Football Recruiter. Rated PG13; Run time 2h. 19m. 

INSURANCE RESOURCE TABLE 

If you have any questions on your health plans,

LUNCH AND LEARN - Transit 101 Class 

please come to the Insurance Resource Table at the

Wednesday, September 27th 12:15p.m. – 1:00p.m.

Hart Park House on Monday, September 11th from

at the Hart Park House If you haven’t used pub-

12:00p.m. - 1:00p.m. A licensed representative

lic transportation before or it’s been a long time

will be available. As a Medicare beneficiary, you

since you tried and you don’t know where to start,

have from October 15 to December 7, 2017, to 

THIS CLASS IS FOR YOU! No need to stress 

review your coverage and make any changes for

over mobility or other limitations - Feel confident

2018. New coverage for changes made during the

enough to go out on your own! Come join us for

open enrollment begins January 1, 2018. 

this FREE Transit Training Class-Please call the Hart Park House at 626-355-7394. 
make a reservation-


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