Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, October 8, 2022

Mountain Views-News Saturday, October 8, 2022 

Specializing in PlacingSeniors in Assisted Living and 
Memory Care Communities 

ASSISTED LIVING OR NURSING 
HOME? 

There are many myths about Assisted 
Living being like Nursing Homes. 
This is not true at all. Nursing facilities 
are for those with chronic health 
issues who require care around the 
clock from medical professionals. 


In Assisted Living, one will get the support as needed, such as getting help with showering, grooming, 
and dressing. Again, these services are based on the seniors needs. 

There are many reasons in working with us. At Safe Path for Seniors, we will assess the senior and 
depending on their care needs and budget, make recommendations. For example, we may suggest 
that the right fit is a Board and Care Home (normally a 6-bedroom house) as opposed to an Assisted 
Living Community or a Memory Support Facility. You will work with an experienced agent who 
knows the industry well and will give you recommendations. The good news is that there is no 
cost for this service. 

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

AUTO AIDS THAT MAKE DRIVING EASIER AND SAFER 

Dear Savvy Senior: 

Do you know of any car gadgets that can help older 
drivers? I drive a 12-year-old car and have arthritis 
in my neck, back and knees which limits my mobility 
making it more difficult to get in and out of the 
car and look over my shoulder to backup. Almost 80 


Dear Almost, 

To help keep older drivers safe and extend their driving years, there are a number of inexpensive 
products you can purchase that can easily be added to your vehicle to help with many different 
needs. Here are some popular auto aids to consider. 

Entry and Exit Aids 

For mobility challenged seniors who have a difficult time entering and exiting a vehicle – especially 
cars that are low to the ground or high vehicles such as SUV’s or pickup truck’s – there are a 
variety of support handles and special seat cushions that can help. 

Some examples include the Stander (stander.com) “HandyBar” ($40), which is a portable support 
grab bar that inserts into the U-shaped striker plate on the doorframe, and the “CarCaddie” ($20), 
a nylon support handle that buckles around the top of the door window frame. Stander also has 
an “Auto Swivel Seat Cushion” ($40), that rotates 360 degrees to help drivers and passengers pivot 
their body into and out of their vehicle. 

Rear Vision Improvements 

To help those with neck and back range of motion problems, which makes looking over the shoulder 
to back-up or merge into traffic difficult, there are special mirrors you can add as well as 
back-up cameras. 

To widen rear visibility and eliminate blind spots, Verivue Mirrors (verivuemirrors.com) offers 
the popular “Universal 12-Inch Panoramic Rearview Mirror” ($13) that clips on to existing rear-
view mirrors, along with a variety of “Blind Spot Mirrors” ($5 for two), which are small convex 
mirrors that stick to the corner of the sideview mirrors. 

Another helpful device is the “Auto-vox CS-2 Wireless Backup Camera Kit” ($120, www.auto-vox.
com). This comes with a night vision camera that attaches to the rear license plate, and a small 
monitor that mounts to the dash or windshield. When the vehicle is in reverse, it sends live images 
wirelessly to the monitor so you can see what’s behind you. 

Seat Belt Extenders 

For plus-sized people or those with mobility problems, there are seat belt extension products that 
can make buckling up a little easier. For example, Seat Belt Extender Pros (seatbeltextenderpros.
com) offers vehicle-specific “Seat Belt Extenders” ($13 to $26) that fit into the seat belt buckle 
receiver to add a few inches of length, making them easier to fasten. They also sell a “Seat Belt 
Grabber Handle” ($8), which is a rubber extension handle that attaches to the seat belt strap to 
make it easier to reach. 

Gripping Devices 

If you have hand arthritis that makes gripping difficult or painful, consider the “SEG Direct Steering 
Wheel Cover” ($17) that fits over the steering wheel to make it larger, softer and easier to grip. 
And for help twisting open tight gas caps, the “Gas Cap & Oil Cap Opener by Gascapoff ” ($17) is 
a long-handled tool that works like a wrench to loosen and tighten gas caps.
Many of these products can be found in your local auto supply stores or online at the manufacturer’s 
website or at Amazon.com. Just type the product name in the search bar to find them. 

Professional Help 

If you need more assistance, consider contacting a driver rehabilitation specialist who are trained 
to evaluate elderly drivers and provide safety and driving equipment suggestions. 

In addition to the types of aids mentioned in this column, there’s also a range of adaptive driving 
equipment that can be professionally installed on a vehicle – like swing-out swivel seats, pedal 
extenders, hand controls and more – to help people with various disabilities. To locate a driver 
rehabilitation specialist in your area, visit ADED.net or MyAOTA.aota.org/driver_search. 

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. 


SENIOR HAPPENINGS 


HAPPY BIRTHDAY! …OCTOBER BIRTHDAYS* 

Janda Ferris, Darlene Traxler, Margit Johnson, Sole Krieg, George Maurer, 
Dick Anderson, Eva Poet, Mary Jane Baker, Dixie Coutant, Jill Franks, 
Cathleen Cremins, Adie Marshall, Darlene Crook, Susan Gallagher, Maggie 
Ellis, Gloria Giersbach, Ellen O’Leary, Jenny Piangenti, Anita Thompson, 
Linda Boehm and Angela Stella * 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 play 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 

Thursday, 10/13 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 Oct. 12 and Oct. 26 — 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, 10/4 and 10/18 —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, Oct. 11 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. 

LOTERIA: Oct. 20 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm 
Come down to the HPH (Hart Park House) for a lively round of Loteria (Mexican Bingo) 
Prizes await! 

OCTOBER CRAFT Tuesday, October 25 10:30am Hart Park House 
Have you ever had interest in balloon art? Well you are in luck! Join Recreation Coordinator 
Pardo as she instructs us on how to create a cat, bat or pumpkin balloon column. Space is limited 
so please call or email Lawren to reserve your spot. 

SENIOR CINEMA Wednesday, 10/12— 1:00 pm HUBIE HALLOWEEN PG-13 1h 43m 
Good-natured but eccentric community volunteer Hubie Dubois finds himself at 
the center of a real murder case on Halloween night. Despite his devotion to his 
hometown of Salem, Massachusetts (and its legendary Halloween celebration).
Wednesday, 10/26 – Beginning at 1:00pm THE BIRDS PG 1h 59m 


SPECIAL MEDICARE PRESENTATION Thursday 10/13, 9:00 am-10:00 am 
Hart Park House Please join Duarte Councilmember Vihn for a Medicare presentation. 
Pastries and coffee will be served during this informative presentation. Space is 
limited, call Lawren to reserve your spot. 

OUT TO PASTOR 

A Weekly Religion Column by Rev. James Snyder 

HAVE NOSE, WILL SNORE! 


Having been married 
as long as The Gracious 
Mistress of the Parsonage 
and myself, there are very few things we 
disagree.
I run by the idea, “Do you want to be happy, 
or do you want to be right?” That has 
guided me through many a storm these 
past years.
Almost every day, I come across somebody 
having difficulty getting along with 
their spouse. My counseling has been 
consistent through the years, “You don’t 
always have to be right.” 
That’s what causes a lot of problems in 
relationships. People are obsessed with 
being right about everything, even when 
wrong. It doesn’t cost a person a lot to 
give in, even when they might be right.
Our relationship has been very calm except 
for a few bumps.
The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage is 
what I call a Vegetable Freak, whereas, on 
the other side of the kitchen table, I’m just 
a Freak. 
If my wife doesn’t get her daily dose of 
vegetables, she can become quite anxious. 
However, when I get my daily dose of vegetables, 
I also become anxious but in the 
other direction. 
The king on her vegetable table is broccoli. 
Just the sight of broccoli is very offensive 
to me. I never had broccoli when 
I was growing up, and I’m not going to 
have broccoli until I die. 
The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage is 
very focused on her broccoli diet. If a day 
goes by that, she has not had broccoli, I 
have not seen it yet.
Often I use broccoli as a bargaining chip 
for my favorite food, Apple Fritter.
From my point of view, and it’s only mine, 
the Apple Fritter makes up for Eve’s apple 
blunder in the Garden of Eden. That is 
my story, and I’m sticking to it.
Probably, the biggest controversy we 
have, which has been with us ever since 
we were married, has to do with snoring. 
But, for some reason, I know not why, 
The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage 
assumes that I snore every night.
Often in the middle of the night, I will 
feel a sharp elbow in my Adam ribs and 
hear somebody say, “Stop your snoring.” 
For the life of me I have no idea what she’s 
talking about.
She will confront me in the morning 
over breakfast with the idea that I snore 
at night. With a very quizzical nod, I just 
tried to forget that complaint. I know that 
I don’t snore at night.
“You know how miserable it makes me to 
hear you snoring all night?”
I return her quizzical look and tell her that 
I don’t know what she is talking about. I 
stayed up one night and never heard my


self snore. 
For some reason, she has the idea that 
snoring is bad for your health.
“Don’t you know it’s not healthy to snore 
at night like you do?”
I kept my response to myself, but if snoring 
is not healthy, how come everybody 
does it? I don’t want her to hear me say 
that for various reasons. 
I’m not sure about the health damage 
snoring does to a person. If I had been 
snoring all these years, according to her, 
how come it has not affected my health?
One night I got up and went to the kitchen 
to get a drink of water. Then, walking 
down the hallway to the bedroom, I heard 
this raspy noise. As I got to my bedroom, 
here it was, The Gracious Mistress of the 
Parsonage snoring. I only regret that I did 
not tape that incident because it would 
have been worth a lot to me. 
When we got up in the morning, I was 
chuckling, and looking at me, she said, 
“Why are you laughing?”
Do I tell her, or do I pass it off?
Being who I am, I actually did tell her.
She glared at me and said most vocally, “I 
do not snore, and I don’t want to hear you 
tell me that ever again.” 
I chuckled inwardly and was waiting for 
some excuse to tell her again.
Then I saw it. A little Facebook report 
said that contrary to what people have 
believed, snoring is a very healthy thing 
for your body. According to this investigation, 
the bigger you are, the more you 
need to snore. 
In sharing this new information with my 
wife, she was not very sympathetic. “That 
cannot be right,” she said most defiantly. 
“Snoring is not healthy.” 
Then I showed her the story and even 
read it, and she did not want to believe it. 
I looked at her and said, “It must be true 
because it’s on Facebook.” 
Looking at me she said, “You believe everything 
you read on Facebook?”
“Well,” I said as soberly as possible, “I believe 
this one for sure.” 
Not knowing what to say, she just turned 
around and walked away, mumbling 
something I couldn’t understand.
When we went to bed that night, I looked 
at her and said, “I’m going to have a very 
healthy night tonight.” 
She didn’t smile, but I did.
As I drifted off to la-la-land, I thought of 
a scripture. Amos 3:3, “Can two walk together, 
except they be agreed?”
It is quite rare when two people agree on 
everything. It is important that we agree 
on the right things. We can have our difference 
but there are crucial issues where 
we must agree. Every relationship is based 
on discovering those issues and committing 
ourselves to them. 

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