Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, August 20, 2022

SAFE PATH FOR SENIORS 

Specializing in Placing Seniors in 
Assisted Living and Memory Care 
Communities 

Many families are faced with the 
question:, "Should I place my loved 
one in a senior home?" Good question 
- but who should you go for 
answers? 
SAFE PATH FOR SENIORS!

 At Safe Path for Seniors we will 
assess the senior current living situation 
and depending on the individual care needs and budget and, make recommendations that will 
help the entire family deal with this major life changing situation. 

For example, we may suggest that the right fit is a Board and Care Home, a smaller, more intimate 
environment, as opposed to a larger Assisted Living Community. 

We will make certain that you work with an experienced agent who knows the industry well and 
will give you recommendations. And the good news is that there is no cost for this service. 

If you have any questions about placing a loved one please visit our website: 
www.safepathforseniors.com or call Steve at 626-999-6913 

WHAT IS AN ANNUAL NOTICE OF CHANGE? 


Dear Savvy Senior:
Last year I received a “notice of change” letter 
from my Medicare provider. Should I expect another 
one this year, and what should I do with it? 
Medicare Rookie 

Dear Rookie: 


The letter you’re asking about is actually referred 
to as the Annual Notice of Change (or ANOC), which is a letter you receive from your 
Medicare Advantage or Medicare Part D prescription drug plan in late September. (People with 
only a Medigap plan don’t receive these because Medigap plans do not have benefit changes from 
year to year). So yes, you should expect to receive another letter next month. 

The ANOC gives a summary of any changes in your plan’s costs and coverage that will take effect 
Jan. 1 of the next year. The ANOC is typically mailed with the plan’s “evidence of coverage,” which 
is a more comprehensive list of the plan’s costs and benefits for the upcoming year. 

You should review these notices to see if your plan will continue to meet your health care needs in 
2023. If you are dissatisfied with any upcoming changes, you can make changes to your coverage 
during fall open enrollment, which runs from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7. 

Here are three types of changes to look for: 

Costs: If you have a Medicare Advantage plan, find out what you can expect to pay for services 
in 2023. Costs such as deductibles and copayments can change each year. For example, your plan 
may not have had a deductible in 2022, but it could have one in 2023. A deductible is the amount 
of money you owe out-of-pocket before your plan begins to cover your care. Another example is 
that your plan may increase the copayments you owe for visits to your primary care provider or 
specialists. 

Coverage: If you have an Advantage plan with prescription drug coverage check to see if your doctors, 
hospitals, and other health care providers and pharmacies will still be in network for 2023. 
You have the lowest out-of-pocket costs if you go to providers and pharmacies that are in your 
plan’s network. If you see an out-of-network provider, your plan may not cover any of the cost of 
your care, leaving you to pay the cost out-of-pocket. You should also contact your providers directly 
to confirm that they will still be accepting your plan in the coming year. 

Drugs: If you have prescription drug coverage, look through the plan’s formulary, which is the list 
of drugs the plan covers. Formulary changes can happen from year to year, so make sure the medications 
you’re taking will be covered next year, and that they’re not moved to a higher tier which 
will affect your copay. If you see any changes that will increase your costs, you may want to select 
a different drug plan that covers all of your medications. If the formulary is incomplete, or you do 
not see your drug(s) on the list, contact the plan directly to learn more. 

If you have not received an ANOC by the end of September, you should contact your Medicare 
Advantage Plan or Part D plan to request it. This notice can be very helpful in determining whether 
you should make any changes to your coverage during the fall open enrollment. Reading your 
ANOC can also prevent any surprises about your coverage in the new year. 

Shopping, comparing and enrolling in a new Medicare Advantage or Part D plan during the open 
enrollment period can easily be done online at Medicare’s Plan Finder Tool at Medicare.gov/
find-a-plan. 

Or, if you don’t have a computer or Internet access, you can also call Medicare at 800-633-4227 and 
they can help you out over the phone. Your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP), 
which provides free Medicare counseling, is also a great resource to help you make any changes. 
To find a local SHIP counselor, visit ShipHelp.org or call 877-839-2675. 

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. 

TOM PURCELL 
END OF LIFE CHANGES IN MODERN TIMES 


A long time ago I watched a 
documentary about poet Emily 
Dickenson’s life and writings. 

One thing that I never forgot 
about that film is that she lived at 
a time when death was regrettably 
common — and therefore the 
subject of many of her poems. 

“How are you doing?” is a polite way of introducing 
ourselves to each other now. 

But as I learned in that documentary, this greeting 
during Dickinson’s times meant, “Are you healthy 
and well and going to be with us tomorrow?” 

Until modern times, dying commonly affected all 
age groups. 

Women died during child birth. Children died 
from a variety of maladies. 

The rich as well as the poor suffered tragedy and 
loss almost equally. 

Haider Warraich, the doctor who wrote “Modern 
Death: How Medicine Has Changed End of Life,” 
explained in an interview that in the 1800s in Boston 
or London people died mostly of three things: 
injuries, infections, or some type of nutritional 
deficiencies. 

“Really,” he said, “death was a very binary event — 
and it was very sudden. 

“For example, before the advent of medical technology, 
if someone had a heart attack or if someone 
had some type of abnormal heart rhythm such as 
ventricular tachycardia, they would almost certainly 
die, in many cases instantaneously, sometimes 
even in their sleep.” 

Warraich said that dying today is no longer an “instantaneous 
flash event,” but a “phase of our life.” 

New technologies enable people to live longer even 
if they have chronic diseases, so they are in and out 
of hospitals — as my dad was the past five months. 

Today we’ve become disconnected from death, 
Warraich said. 

We’ve moved death from our homes and communities 
to hospitals and nursing homes – where four 
of five Americans now die. 

When my father’s father died at only 34 in 1937, he 
died in his own bed of streptococcus, now easily 
cured with penicillin, and was laid out in the parlor 
of his house. 

We’d hoped my father would meet his end peacefully 
in his own home. 

After repeated visits to the hospital and skilled 
nursing facilities, we brought him home and hired 
our own care. 

We celebrated his 89th birthday at his home a few 
weeks ago in epic fashion. A glorious event, it was 
attended by the large extended family he and my 
mother produced. 

When his time finally came, he was back in the hospital, 
but he was surrounded by his family and his 
wife of nearly 66 years. 

As advances in technology change the way we live 
and die we are becoming fearful of death — yet it’s 
something every one of us is going to experience. 

I’m honored to say that my sisters and mother and 
I fully embraced my dad’s life and supported him 
with everything we had in his last painful months. 

Knowing he’s at peace now quells the hurt of watching 
him suffer so much for so long. 

I believe he is in Heaven now, reunited with his 
parents, and I believe I will see him again.
I will wait patiently for that grand reunion. 

“How are you doing?” is the question of the 
moment. 
I wish you the very best if you are in your end stage 
of life now or caring for someone you love who is 

— as you navigate the challenges of dying in modern 
times. 
Tom Purcell, creator of the infotainment site ThurbersTail.
com, is a Pittsburgh Tribune-Review humor columnist. 
Email him at Tom@TomPurcell.com. 

Mountain Views-News Saturday, August 20, 2022 

SENIOR HAPPENINGS 


HAPPY BIRTHDAY! …August Birthdays* 

Nancy Beckham, Karlene Englert, Juanita Fernandez, Jeanette Francis, 

Joseph Kiss, Jacquie Pergola, Pat Miranda, Jerry Burnett, Margaret Aroyan, 

Phyllis Burg, Beverly Clifton, Rosemary Morabito, Susan Poulsen, Joy Barry, 

Marcia Bent, Joan Spears, Ruth Torres, Jane Zamanzadeh. Helen Stapenhorst, 

Chandy Shair, Heidi Hartman, Erma Gutierrez, Margaret Switzer

 * To add your name to this distinguished list, please call the paper at 626.355.2737. YEAR 
of birth not required 
SIERRA MADRE SENIOR CLUB Every Saturday from 11:30am-3:30 pm in the Hart 
Park House Senior Center. Join us as we celebrate birthdays, holidays and pay BINGO. 
Must be 50+ to join. For more information call Mark at 626-355-3951. 

DOMINOES TRAIN GAME 1st and 3rd Wednesdays, 11:00 am— 12:30 pm Hart Park 
House The object of the game is for a player to play all the tiles from their hand onto one or 
more trains, emanating from a central hub or “station”. Call Lawren with questions that you 
may have. 

PAINT PALS 

Tuesday, 8/4 10:30 am—Hart Park House If you enjoy painting, sketching, water color, or 
making some other form of artistic creation please join our new program, PAINT PALS!!! 
Bring a project that you are working on to the HPH and enjoy some quality art time with other 
artists looking to paint with a new pal. 

TEA AND TALK SENIOR BOOK CLUB Tuesday Aug. 11 and Aug 24 — 9:00 am 
Staff has launched a new book club series, Tea and Talk, which meets twice a month to discuss 
the fun, suspense, intrigue, love and so much more that each selection will have in store! 

FIBER FRIENDS Tuesday, 8/16 —10:00 am If you enjoy knitting, crocheting, embroidery, 
needlepoint, bunka, huck, tatting or cross stitch then we have a group for you! Bring your 
current project, a nonalcoholic beverage, then sit and chat with likeminded fiber friends. We 
meet in the Hart Park House 

CHAIR YOGA Every Monday and Wednesday, 10-10:45 am Please join us for some gentle 
stretching, yoga, balance exercise and overall relaxation with Paul. Classes are ongoing and 
held in the Memorial Park Covered Pavilion or the Hart Park House.. 

HULA AND POLYNESIAN DANCE Every Friday, 10-10:45 am Bring a lei, your flower 
skirt or just your desire to dance! Hula in the Park is back and waiting for you to join in on all 
the fun! Memorial Park Pavilion. 

BLOOD PRESSURE CLINIC - Tuesday, Aug 9 11:00 am - 12:00 pm

Methodist Hospital will be holding a free to seniors clinic once a month in the Hart Park 
House. Walk in are welcome - no pre-registration required. 

BINGO: Aug 18 1:00 pm - 2:00 pmCome down to the HPH (Hart Park House) for a lively round of BINGO. Prizes await! 

SENIOR CINEMA Wednesday, 8/17— Beinning at 1:00 pm Blue Hawaii PG 1h 42mAfter arriving back in Hawaii from the Army, Chad Gates (Elvis Presley) defies his parents’ 
wishes for himn to work at the family business and instead goes to work as a tour 
guide at his girlfriend’s agency. 


OUT TO PASTOR 

A Weekly Religion Column by Rev. James Snyder 

IT NEVER DAWNED ON MY UNTIL.... 

I must confess I am too poor to pay attention at this time in my life. I 

hope one day I will win the lottery and be able to afford to pay atten


tion. But, of course, The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage says that 

you can’t win a lottery unless you play the lottery. Well, I don’t play the 

lottery. Sigh! 

I guess I will have to find another way to raise enough money to pay attention. 
Maybe if I could pay attention, I wouldn’t get into the trouble that I get into. For 
many years when I would come home and walk through the front door, The Gracious 
Mistress of the Parsonage would greet me with a kiss. And then she would say, “Good 
to see you.” I never thought too much about that; I just accepted it as the norm and 
accept life as it comes; after all, I am too poor to pay attention. 

One time several weeks ago, when I came home, The Gracious Mistress of 
the Parsonage greeted me with a kiss. Something seemed a little bit different. I just 
couldn’t put my finger on it. 

Since my heart attack, I have been trying to stay on a restricted diet. My diet is 
not the same as my wife’s. My diet is that I don’t eat anything I don’t like. You can be 
sure that is not my wife’s idea. Her idea of my diet is to eat what she prescribes for me.
One thing restricted on my diet, at least from her perspective, is an Apple Fritter. I can 
never have too many of these, but my wife believes just thinking about an Apple Fritter 
is highly forbidden. 

My idea is, and I don’t want her to know this, but as long as I don’t eat an Apple 
Fritter in the house, I’m obeying her restrictions. What I eat outside the house has 
nothing whatsoever to do with The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage. 
It is tough for someone like me not to eat something that is so heavenly delicious. I 
am quite confident that the angels in heaven enjoy an Apple Fritter on a regular basis.
That being said, something strange began to unfold before me. 

After greeting me with a kiss, The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage said something I 
didn’t clearly hear. But, as I thought about it, it seemed like, “You didn’t have an Apple 
Fritter today, did you?” I didn’t pay attention to it because I didn’t hear it exactly. That 
may not have been what she said, so I wasn’t going to push the issue and get myself into 
trouble. I have learned long ago not to push a subject I didn’t have to. I smiled and 
went to my chair with a hot cup of coffee. Nothing settles my mind better than a good 
strong Cup of Joe. To question The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage opens the door 
for a lot of hardship. And who can afford that at this time of life? 

The next day as I came through the front door, she greeted me with a kiss, 
and walking away I heard her very distinctly say, “That smells like a very delicious 
Apple Fritter.” I didn’t know what to say or think at the time. Was she joking? Was I 
in trouble? Thinking about it, I asked myself how she would know if I had an Apple 
Fritter. Is she guessing or what? 

A few minutes after I got my coffee I sat down and began to think a little bit. As 
you know, that always gets me into trouble. But in my thinking, I remembered I had an 
Apple Fritter before coming home. Now, how would she know that? I’m very careful 
to get a cup of coffee when I eat an Apple Fritter to hide any smell it might leave on me. 
So I need to work this out. 

The next day I did not have an Apple Fritter the whole day. So when I came 
home and was greeted with a kiss, I heard nothing about an Apple Fritter from my 
wife. How does she know when I have and don’t have one? 

The next day I did have one. When I came home and was greeted with a kiss, 
as soon as I walked away, she said, “How was your Apple Fritter today?” I decided 
I needed to address the subject before it went any further. Looking at her, I 
said, “What makes you think I had an Apple Fritter the day?” With one of her smiles 
on her face, she replied, “Every time I kiss you, I can smell if you’ve had an Apple Fritter 
during the day.” All I could do was just stare with no words coming out of my 
open mouth. “You may think,” she said, “that you can get away with it. But not around 
me.” 

Now I have a situation I will not be able to clear up for a long time. I wonder if 
there is anything like industrial-strength peppermints? I was reminded of my favorite 
Bible verse. Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto 
thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy 
paths.” If I rely on my “own understanding” I won’t be able to afford the direction I 
will be going. 

Dr. James L. Snyder lives in Ocala, FL with the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage. Telephone 
1-352-216-3025, e-mail jamessnyder51@gmail.com, website www.jamessnyderministries.com. 

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