Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, November 9, 2019

MVNews this week:  Page 10

10

Mountain Views-News Saturday, November 9, 2019 


SENIOR HAPPENINGS


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, , Pat Krok, Irene Nakagawa, Anna Ross, Mary Steinberg, Mary Bowser, 
Susan Clifton, Mary Higgins, Kim Buchanan, Leigh Thach and Sue Quinn.

 * To add your name to this distinguished list, please call the paper at 626.355.2737. 
YEAR of birth not required

HART PARK HOUSE MONTHLY PROGRAMS: 

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 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. 
Join the class with Instructor Barbara Dempsey as she leads you in the art of Hula!

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

Free Blood Pressure Testing: 2nd Tuesdays Monthly from 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. No appointment is necessary.

Brain Games: Every third Thursday of the month at 12:45-1:45pm Join us for Scattergories, a creative thinking game by 
naming objects within a set of categories; or Jenga, a block-building challenge that keeps you stacking and bal-ancing your 
tower. Everyone is welcome, and no experience is needed. A great way to strengthen your mind and make new friends... 
Games are facilitated by Senior Volunteers. Will Resume in September 2019

Free Legal Consultation: Wednesday, August 14th from 10:30 a.m. - Noon. Attorney Lem Makupson is available for legal 
consultation. Specializing in Family Law, Wills, Trusts, Estates and Injury. Please call the Hart Park House for an 
appointment, 626-355-5278 ext. 704.

Senior Club: Meets Saturdays, Weekly at Hart Park House Brown Bag Lunch, great company and bingo at 11:30 a.m.

Chair Yoga: Mondays & Wednesdays 11:00 - 11:45 a.m. with Paul Hagen. Classes include Yoga and balance exercises. All 
ability levels are encouraged and welcomed!

Birthday Celebration: Every 2nd Thursday Monthly at the Hart Park House. Share free birthday cake and ice cream 
kindly provided by the Senior Community Commission!

Game Day: Every Thursday Monthly 12:00 Noon come into the Hart Park House and join a lively poker game with 
friends!

Free Strength Training Class: Fridays 12:45 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. with Lisa Brandley.light weights, low impact resistance 
training and body conditioning. Class equipment provided.

Gentle Yoga for Active Seniors: Every Monday & Wednesday from 8:15 - 9:45 a.m. with Andrea Walsh at the Hart Park 
House. Classes include complete floor relaxation, standing and floor postures, balancing, and featuring extended 
meditations on the fourth Wednesdays of the month! Call (626)-355-5278 for more information.


NOVEMBER EXCURSION 

NOVEMBER 15, 2019 (SANTA BARBARA) 10:15 A.M.-5:45 P.M.

The Santa Barbara Bird Sanctuary is a 501 (C)(3) non-profit organization that is 
dedicated to the rescue and rehabilitation of unwanted, abused, and orphaned companion parrots. Our 

sanctuary is currently home to more than 60 large parrots, many of which have behavioral or medical 
conditions that prevent them from being adopted. With a lifespan of up to 80 years and the intelligence 
level of a 3 year old child, these birds require an enormous commitment that the average person 
finds difficult to fulfill. 

Following a self-guided tour of the facility our group will enjoy the W.O.W. (World of Wings) program 
where we can get up-close and personal with their flock of avian ambassadors. Discover a vast array 
of species in all their glorious shapes, colors and sized as we explore their geographical distribution. 
Learn about personality and behavioral traits attributed to different types 
of parrots; which ones talk, who is sweet and cuddly, and who is the most intelligent.

$25.00 ****Level of Walking: LOW Money for lunch and souvenirs is optional. 
Sierra Madre registration is 10/29-11/4. Non resident begins 11/5 online or in person. 


DOES IT RUN IN THE FAMILY? 
HOW TO CREATE A FAMILY 
HEALTH PORTRAIT

Dear Savvy Senior:

How do I go about making a family health history? 
Most of my relatives have died before age 65, so my doctor recently suggested I create a family history 
to help identify my own genetic vulnerabilities. Approaching 50

 Dear Approaching;

This is a very good idea. An accurate family health history remains one of the most important 
tools in keeping yourself healthy as you age, and the holidays when family members come together 
is a great time to do it. Here’s what you should know, along with some tips and tools to help 
you create one. 

 Know Your Genes

Just as you can inherit your father’s height or your mother’s eye color, you can also inherit their 
genetic risk for diseases like cancer, diabetes, heart disease and more. If one generation of a family 
has high blood pressure, for example, it is not unusual for the next generation to have it too. 
Therefore, tracing the illnesses suffered by your relatives can help you and your doctor predict the 
disorders you may be at risk for, so you can take action to keep yourself healthy. 

 To create a family health history, you’ll need to start by collecting some basic medical information 
on your first-degree relatives including your parents, siblings and children. Then move on to your 
grandparents, aunts, uncles and first cousins. 

 You need to get the specific ages of when they developed health problems like heart disease, 
cancer, diabetes, arthritis, dementia, depression, etc. If family members are deceased, you need 
to know when and how they died. If possible, include lifestyle information as well, such as diet, 
exercise, smoking and alcohol use. 

 Some relatives may not want to share their medical histories, or they may not know their family 
history, but whatever information you discover will be helpful. 

 To get information on diseased relatives, get a copy of their death certificate. This will list their 
cause of death and the age he or she died. To get a death certificate, contact the vital records office 
in the state where your relative died, or go to VitalChek.com.

Or, if you were adopted, the National Foster Care & Adoption Directory Search (see ChildWelfare.
gov/nfcad) may be able to help you locate your birth parents so you can get their medical history. 

 Helpful Tools

To get help putting together your family health history, the U.S. Surgeon General created a free 
web-based tool called “My Family Health Portrait” (see phgkb.cdc.gov/FHH/html) that can help 
you collect, organize and understand your genetic risks and even share the information with your 
family members and doctors. 

 Another good resource that provides similar assistance is the Genetic Alliance’s online tool called 
“Does It Run In the Family.” At FamilyHealthHistory.org you can create a customized guide on 
your family health history for free. 

 Handling the Results

If you uncover some serious health risks that run in your family, don’t despair. While you can’t 
change your genes, you can change your habits to increase your chances of a healthy future. By 
eating a healthy diet, exercising and not smoking, you can offset and sometimes even neutralize 
your genetic vulnerabilities. This is especially true for heart disease, stroke, type-2 diabetes and 
osteoporosis. 

 

A family medical history can also alert you to get early and frequent screening tests, which can 
help detect other problems (high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and cancers like breast, ovarian, 
prostrate and colon cancer) in their early stages when they’re most treatable. 

 

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.

MEALS - ON - WHEELS PROGRAM

The Home Delivered Meals Program provides healthy meals to homebound Seniors 60 and above. Seven 
frozen meals, milk, bread and fruit are included and delivered once a week. $3 Donation per meal is 
suggested but remains completely anonymous and voluntary. Clients must be eligible and we invite you 
to contact YWCA Intervale Senior Services at 626-214-9467. SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT 
NOTICE SUGGESTED DONATION $3.00 1% LOW FAT MILK INCLUDED

OUT TO PASTOR 

A Weekly Religion Column by Rev. James Snyder


GETTING OLD IS NOT FOR THE WEAK 

I will not admit to being old, but I am older than I was 10 years ago. Those 10 years have been 
filled with all kinds of things helping me to get older.

I saw an article that said that 60 is the new 40. I have no idea what that means, but I think out in our culture there 
is an obsession about age. People cannot accept getting older.

This year was the 50th anniversary of my high school graduation. Unfortunately, I did not get to go, but I did see 
many of the pictures from that celebration. Looking at those pictures, I did not know how old my high school 
friends really were. It probably was a good thing that I did not go for a variety of reasons.

The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage and I were sitting around enjoying an evening cup of coffee. Nothing like a 
good hot cup of coffee to settle the nerves. It’s not that I have nerves, but it’s just an excuse to drink coffee.

I think of what my old uncle Ed used to say, “I never had a bad cup of coffee, but I do confess I have had a cup that 
was better than others.” That seems to be my sentiment as well.

The older I get, the more I enjoy my coffee. One year I tried to switch from coffee to hot tea. Sorta like the Britons 
do. Let me say I did not last the whole year with drinking hot tea. No wonder Britains speak with an accent. I decided 
to go back to coffee and I am unanimous in that decision.

Getting back to my wife and me drinking coffee together, the conversation shifted in the direction of how old we 
actually are.

“Boy, we’ve come a long way, haven’t we?” I think my wife is right in that observation.

We spent a few moments reminiscing about what people call the “good old days.” I must say we had quite a few of 
them. Of course, my wife remembers more of them and the details about them then I do. But that’s okay. Sharing 
a memory is one of the great blessings of life.

It is often said by certain people that we remember things in the past better than we do things that have happened 
today. I go along with that. I cannot remember what I had for breakfast today, but I do remember what I was doing 
50 years ago.

Fifty years ago, I began my Bible college days. Then, a year later I met what became the Gracious Mistress of the 
Parsonage. Those memories are forever etched in my mind.

What is strange about this is that I can remember more details each year than I did the year before. Oh, isn’t 
memory a wonderful thing.

The thing that troubles me is that my wife remembers a memory different than I remember that same memory.

She begins a conversation by saying, “Do you remember…” Then she’ll go off when some memory deep in the past. 
Some of the details of that memory seem to be familiar, but I go along with her.

It is wonderful to have memories and everybody has memories. The thing is, some people have good memories 
and some people up bad memories. Some people choose to focus on their bad memories and others choose to 
focus on their good memories.

The other day I forgot something I was trying to remember. For the life of me, I could not remember it. Why is it 
that you cannot remember so0me things that are happening right now?

Then it hit me. My memory is like a computer disk, which has a certain amount of memory on it. Once you use all 
the memory, you cannot put any more memories on it. You must get a new disc.

I wonder if that is what’s going on with my memory? Maybe I have used up most of my memory space.

I shared this with my wife and she looked at me and said, “I think you have something there.”

My memory is not quite that bad, but I can never remember her saying anything along that line especially to me. 
I just went along with her.

“Maybe,” my wife said rather thoughtfully, “we should delete memories in the past that we no longer need. That 
will make room for new memories.”

Only my wife could come up with something like that. But as she talked on, it sounded like a good thing to do.

I looked at her and said, “Can you tell me where the delete button is on our memory?”

“Silly boy,” she said, “do I have to think of everything?”

Whatever the solution, I think it is important to make room for new memories. Enjoy the ones in the past, but do 
not let the past hinder the present.

Thinking on these things it occurred to me that getting old is not for sissies. It takes a real man and a real woman 
to blossom into old age. If you are not careful, getting old can wear you out both physically and mentally.

Thinking about this I thought of what David said. “They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, 
and shall sing of thy righteousness” (Psalm 145:7).

No memory is better and more refreshing than my times with God.


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