Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, May 13, 2023

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Mountain View News Saturday, May 13, 2023 


SAFE PATH FOR SENIORS

Steve Sciurba, Senior Placement Specialist 

There are many reasons in working with Safe Path 

for Seniors, we will assess your loved ones and make

recommendations depending on care needs and 
budget. 

With our many years of experience, we will make an

informed recommendation. 

We work with large communities to the small 6-bed, 

board & care residential homes.

You will tour with an experienced consultant who will 

work with you through the entire process. from selecting 
the right living environment to all of the necessary 
paperwork involved.

The good news is that there is no cost for this service.

If you have any questions about placing a loved one, 
visit our web site:

www.safepathforseniors.com 

or call Steve at 626-999-6913

SENIOR HAPPENINGS


HAPPY BIRTHDAY! …MAY Birthdays*

Beth Copti, Marilyn Diaz, Anne Schryver, Jo Ann Williams, Paul Hagan, Lenore 
Crilly Joann Serrato-Chi, Harriett Lyle, Jean Coleman, Birgitta Gerlinger, 
Luciana Rosenzweig, Linda Wochnik, Marian Woodford, Debbie Sheridan, 
Joanne Anthony, Carole Axline, Kika Downey, Shirley Hall, Annie Scalzo, Janet 
Ten Eyck, Jane Thomas, Ray Burley

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

SENIOR CLUB Every Saturday at Noon Hart Park House

Open to all seniors 50+ Fun - Games - And More! Call Mark at 626-355-3951 

DOMINOES TRAIN GAME

1st & 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.

TEA AND TALK BOOK CLUB

Wednesday, 4/12 and 4/26 9:00 am Hart Park House

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!

HULA AND POLYNESIAN DANCE

 BEGINNERS - Every Thursday 10-11:00 am

 INTERMEDIATE Every Friday 10-11:00 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 Covered Pavilion.

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. 

SPRINGO BINGO 

Thursday, 4/20 Hart Park House 1:00 pm-2:30 pm $5

Fee includes bingo games, light lunch, & prizes! Please call 626-264-8876 or visit 
HPH to pre-register. "Must pre-register to participate" Active Adults 55+

HOW MEDICARE COVERS PHYSICAL THERAPY SERVICES

Dear Savvy Senior:

Does Medicare cover physical therapy, and if so, how 
much coverage do they provide? My 66-year-old husband 
was recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease 
and will need ongoing physical therapy to help keep 
him moving. Worried Wife

Dear Worried:

Yes, Medicare does indeed pay for physical therapy 
along with occupational and speech therapy too, if 
he needs it, as long as it’s prescribed by his doctor. 
You’ll also be happy to know that Medicare has no 
limits on how much it will pay for therapy services, 
but there is an annual coverage threshold you should 
be aware of. Here’s what you should know.

Outpatient Therapy

To get Medicare Part B – which covers outpatient 
care – to help cover your husband’s physical therapy, 
it must be considered medically necessary and will 
need to be ordered by his doctor. The same holds 
true for occupational and speech therapy.

He can get these services as an outpatient at a number 
of places like a doctor or therapist office; in a 
hospital outpatient department; at an outpatient 
rehabilitation facility; at skilled nursing facilities 
if he is being treated as an outpatient; and at home 
through a therapist connected with a home health 
agency when he is ineligible for Medicare’s home 
health benefit.

For outpatient therapy, Medicare will pay 80 percent 
of the Medicare-approved amount after you meet 
your Part B deductible ($226 in 2023). You will be 
responsible for the remaining 20 percent unless you 
have supplemental insurance. 

But be aware that if his therapy costs reach $2,230 
in a calendar year (2023), Medicare will require his 
provider to confirm that his therapy is still medically 
necessary. Medicare used to set annual limits 
on what it would pay for outpatient therapeutic services, 
but the cap was eliminated a few years back. 

You also need to know that treatment recommended 
by a physical therapy provider but not ordered by a 
doctor is not covered. In this situation, the therapist 
is required to give your husband a written notice, 
called an Advance Beneficiary Notice of Noncoverage 
or ABN, that Medicare may not pay for the service. 
If he chooses to proceed with the therapy, he is 
agreeing to pay in full.

Inpatient Therapy

If your husband happens to need physical therapy 
at an inpatient rehabilitation facility like at a skilled 
nursing facility or at your home after a hospitalization 
lasting at least three days, Medicare Part A – 
which provides hospital coverage – will pick up the 
tab. 

To be eligible, his doctor will need to certify that he 
has a medical condition that requires rehabilitation, 
continued medical supervision, and coordinated 
care that comes from his doctors and therapists 
working together. 

Whether you incur out-of-pocket costs such as deductibles 
and coinsurance, and how much they are, 
will depend on the setting for the treatment and how 
long it lasts. For more information on inpatient therapy 
out-of-pocket costs see Medicare.gov/coverage/
inpatient-rehabilitation-care.

Medicare Advantage Coverage

If your husband is enrolled in a Medicare Advantage 
plan (like an HMO or PPO), these plans must 
cover everything that’s included in original Medicare 
Part A and Part B coverage. However, some Advantage 
plans may require a person to use services 
from physical therapy practices within an agreed 
network. If he has an Advantage plan, you’ll need 
to contact his specific plan before selecting a physical 
therapy provider to confirm they’re within the 
network. 

More Questions?

If you have other questions about coverage and 
costs for therapeutic services, call Medicare at 800-
633-4227 or contact your State Health Insurance
Assistance Program (SHIP), which provides free
Medicare counseling. Visit ShipHelp.org or call 877-
839-2675 to connect with a local SHIP counselor.

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.


OUT TO PASTOR 

A Weekly Religion Column by Rev. James Snyder


I’D RATHER KISS A GOAT

There are very few things 
in my life I regret; at least 
that I can remember.

One of the good things about getting old 
is that you can forget many things. The 
im-portant thing is to forget the right 
thing, which is a challenge. You can be 
sure I work on this all the time. It takes 
a really good memory to forget the right 
things.

What I regret the most is that The Gracious 
Mistress of the Parsonage never 
met my good old Uncle Fred. If she had 
met him, she would understand me 
more than she does today. She would understand 
why I am as crazy as I am. The 
problem is, she still would want to try to 
fix me.

One phrase I remember the most about 
Uncle Fred is, "I'd rather kiss a goat." I 
cannot tell you how many times I heard 
him say this. Where he got this phrase is 
a mystery to every-one who knew him.

If someone invited him to an activity he 
did not want to attend, he usually would 
respond by saying, "I'd rather kiss a goat."

People would smile because nobody had 
any idea what he was saying.

A friend once asked him, "Fred, will you 
watch the football game tonight?"

Looking at him as seriously as possible, 
Fred said, "I'd rather kiss a goat."

Knowing him as I did, he was not antisocial; 
he just liked to get under people's 
skin. Eve-rything was a joke to him, and 
most people did not realize it. So they always 
took Uncle Fred seriously, which he 
wanted.

As a teenager, I spent time with him 
working in his garden one summer. He 
had a fantasy for garden work. If it could 
be planted, he would plant it. He had the 
best garden in the whole neighborhood 
at the time. Some plants in his garden 
I could not identify. Years lat-er, much 
to my dismay, I found what some were, 
which explained a lot.

While spending time with him, I asked, 
"Uncle Fred, what do you mean when 
you say, I would rather kiss a goat? Do 
you really mean that?"

I had been thinking about this question 
for a long time, and at this point, I had 
the oppor-tunity to ask him.

"Well, son," he said rather slowly, "it's a 
very interesting thing.

I have no idea what it means, and the people 
I say it to have no idea what I mean." 
He fin-ished by laughing hysterically.

Then he explained that it was better to 
confuse people sometimes than try to 
explain something.

"For instance, if somebody wants you to 
do something and you don't want to do 
it but don't want to hurt their feelings, 
it's best to confuse them. That's where I 
come in and say, I'd rather kiss a goat."

According to him, he got out of many 
sticky situations by saying that.

"Just don't tell anybody I said that." He 
looked at me and then winked. I wondered 
if he was telling me the truth or 
just what he wanted me to know.

It was his way of getting along with 
people he liked but not doing what they 
wanted him to do.

It was the summer before Uncle Fred 
died that we had our family reunion. Just 
about eve-ryone was there, and it was the 
last one that I got to go to.

Everyone was there except my grandfather. 
He was Fred's brother. Nobody 
knew where he was and was concerned 
because he never missed a family 
reunion.

Then, out of nowhere, my grandfather 
drove in, and in his truck was a goat. So 
he got out of the truck, brought the goat 
out, walked over to Fred, and said, "How 
about kissing this goat?"

Of course, Uncle Fred was stunned by 
the action, and everyone except Uncle 
Fred broke out in almost uncontrollable 
laughter.

Only my grandfather could pull one on 
Uncle Fred. I'm unsure how long it took 
him to put this kind of plan together, 
and he surely deserves credit.

I sure do miss Uncle Fred and wish The 
Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage 
would've had an opportunity to meet 
him. I'm afraid, though, she might've 
given him a goat to kiss but not what he 
had in mind.

Sometimes you don't really appreciate a 
person until after they're gone. The more 
I think of Uncle Fred, the more I appreciate 
his phrase, "I'd rather kiss a goat."

It all came to a head when the other day, 
The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage 
came into my office and said, "Would 
you like to go shopping with the girls 
and me?"

Trying not to smile, I looked at her and 
said, "I'd rather kiss a goat."

Glaring at me with one of "those glares," 
she said, "What did you say? Did you just 
call me a goat?"

Oh boy, do I have some 'splainin' to do?

As I was trying to figure out my defense, 
I was reminded of what Jesus said in 
Matthew 12:36-37, "But I say unto you, 
That every idle word that men shall 
speak, they shall give account thereof in 
the day of judgment. For by thy words 
thou shalt be justified, and by thy words 
thou shalt be condemned."

The most important thing is to understand 
that God will hold me accountable 
for every word I speak, even those idle 
words.

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

FAMILY MATTERS


WHY "JUST A WILL" IS NEVER ENOUGH

When someone thinks of 
estate planning, a Will is 
usually the first thing that 
comes to mind. In fact, 
many people who contact 
me tell me they don’t need 
anything complicated for 
their estate- just a Will. Indeed, 
Wills have a reputation 
as the number one estate 
planning tool and can 
be seen all over TV shows 
and movies, from the dramatic “reading of the Will” 
(which rarely happens in real life) to characters plotting 
how best to defraud their billionaire uncle’s Will to inherit 
his lavish estate.

But although Wills are a key part of your estate plan - and 
a big part of the movies - relying on a Will alone likely 
won’t solve your real life estate planning needs - no matter 
what Hollywood says. Instead, using just a Will to plan 
your final wishes is likely to leave your loved ones with 
an expensive mess that won’t distribute your assets in the 
way you intended. 

What’s more, a Will alone won’t ensure that you’re taken 
care of in the event of incapacity, and contrary to what 
you might think, relying on only a Will guarantees that 
your family will need to go to court when you die.

If you don’t want to leave your family with a mess if something 
happens to you, it's important to know how a Will 
works and when it can be used to benefit you and your 
family. 

What Exactly Is a Will and How Does it Work?

A Will is a written document that directs how the creator 
of the will wants their possessions disposed of after their 
death. The creator of the Will is called the testator or testatrix. 
In your Will you can name someone you trust to 
manage the distribution of your assets, called your personal 
representative or executor. You can also write out 
what you want to have happen to your property, what 
charitable gifts you want to make, and who will receive 
them.

A Will can be a complex document or a very simple document. 
But a Will isn’t a legally binding document unless 
it’s executed according to the laws of the state where you 
reside. In California, you generally need to sign your will 
in front of two witnesses - neither of whom have anything 
to gain from your estate. 

A Will Requires Probate Court

One of the biggest estate planning myths I hear from 
people is the belief that by having a Will, their loved ones 
won’t need to go to court after they die.

This is sadly the opposite of the truth.

If you use only a Will as your main method of estate planning, 
you are actually guaranteeing your loved ones will 
go to court after you die because a Will is required by law 
to go through the court system called probate before any 
of your assets can be distributed. In fact, a will is only effective 
within the probate court.

Once your Will is admitted to the court after your death, 
your personal representative or executor will be given 
official authority to move your assets under the court’s 
supervision. This ensures your property is distributed according 
to your wishes and that the court can intervene if 
there are any disputes over who gets what.

While court oversight can be helpful if there is any confusion 
or disagreement about your estate, the probate process 
is long and expensive. For most estates, the process 
can take 18 months or sometimes even more. 

Due to the length and complexity of the process, going 
through probate can easily cost your family tens of thousands 
of dollars. In fact, California probates often cost 
between 5 and 10 percent of the total value of the estate.

In addition, because probate is a public court proceeding, 
your Will becomes part of the public record upon your 
death, allowing everyone to see the contents of your estate, 
who your beneficiaries are, and what they’ll receive. 
Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for scammers to use 
this information 
to try to take advantage of young or vulnerable beneficiaries 
who just inherited money from you.

A Will Does Not Apply to All of Your Assets or All of 
Your Needs

Although movies make it seem like you can and should 
leave all your property to your loved ones through your 
Will, a Will only covers certain items of your property, 
including any property owned solely in your name and 
any property that doesn’t have a beneficiary designation.

A Will does not cover property co-owned by you with 
others listed as joint tenants or owned as marital property, 
meaning there are restrictions on your ability to give 
away those assets. 

Also, any assets with a beneficiary designation, like retirement 
accounts or life insurance, are not controlled by 
your Will at all but will instead be paid out to the person 
listed as your beneficiary on each account. Because of 
this, it’s especially important to make sure your account 
beneficiaries are up to date.

In addition, a Will has no power until you die, so you can’t 
use it to give someone you trust the power to make decisions 
for you if you’re incapacitated due to illness or injury. 
Even if you named someone in your Will to manage 
your estate or watch over your children, that person will 
have no authority to do so while you’re alive. 

Don’t Just Get a Will, Get an Estate Plan

With all the issues that using a Will for estate planning 
can create, you might be wondering why a Will is even 
used at all. The thing is, a Will isn’t the one-and-done solution 
that most people are led to believe by TV shows and 
even some lawyers.

Instead, a Will should be used as a piece of your overall 
estate plan, not as the entire plan itself. And ideally, your 
Will shouldn’t even need to be used at all. 

How can that be? Well, an estate plan isn’t just one or two 
documents - it’s a range of tools and coordinated planning 
that makes sure everything and everyone you love 
is taken care of.

And by using other tools like a Trust (instead of just a 
Will as your main tool for estate planning), you can direct 
what happens to your property while avoiding probate 
court entirely and ensuring the people you want to 
can step in and manage your assets immediately if you 
become incapacitated because of an illness or injury. 

In addition, any assets you put in the name of your Trust 
are entirely private, meaning the court and the public 
need never know what you own or who will inherit it after 
you’re gone. 

When using a Trust-based estate plan, you’ll still want 
a Will, but your Will should only serve as a backup and 
safety net to make sure that any assets accidentally left 
out of your Trust at your death are added back into your 
Trust.

And another important, but often overlooked, part of an 
estate plan, is an inventory of your assets so your family 
knows what you have, where it is, and how to find it when 
you become incapacitated or die. Without an inventory 
of your assets, your family will be lost when something 
happens to you. A comprehensive inventory updated 
throughout your lifetime is a critical piece of a comprehensive 
estate plan. 

Remember, it’s your family who will benefit if you have an 
estate plan which is more than “just a Will.” So, take the 
time to do things right.

To your health, wealth, 
and family legacy,

This material was created 
for educational and informational 
purposes only and is not intended as ERISA, tax, legal, 
or investment advice. If you are seeking legal or other advice specific 
to your needs, such advice services must be obtained on your 
own, separate from this educational material.

Marc Garlett, Esq.

Cali Law Family Legacy Matters

www.caliLaw.com

626.355.4000

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