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Mountain Views-News Saturday, January 27, 2024 

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SENIOR HAPPENINGS


HAPPY BIRTHDAY! …JANUARY BIRTHDAYS*

Maureen Daniels, Gerald Day, Mary Tassop, Judy Webb-Martin, 
John Johnson, Mary Bickel, Marlene Enmark, Shirley Wolf, Ross 
Kellock, Ruth Wolter, Sandy Thistlewaite, Bobbi Rahmanian, Fran 
Syverson, Judy Zaretzka and Becky Evans. * To add your name to 
this distinguished list, please call the paper at 626.355.2737. YEAR 
of birth not required


KEEPING OLDER DRIVERS SAFE ON THE ROAD


Dear Savvy Senior:

What safety tips can you recommend for older 
drivers? My 86-year-old mother, who still drives 
herself, had a fender bender last month and I worry 
about her safety. Back Seat Daughter

 

Dear Back Seat:

With more and more older Americans driving 
well into their 70s, 80s and beyond, there are a va-
riety of things your mom can do to help maintain 
and even improve her driving skills. Here are 
some recommendations by driving rehabilitation 
specialists that work with older drivers. 

 

Get an eye exam: Because about 90 percent of the 
information necessary to drive is received through 
our eyes, this is a good first step in ensuring your 
mom’s driving safety. So, get your mom’s eyes 
checked every year to be sure her vision and eyewear 
is up to par.

 

Get a physical or wellness exam: As people age, it’s 
also very important to monitor changes in overall 
health as it relates to driving. Medical conditions 
like arthritis, dementia, diabetes, Parkin-son’s 
disease, sleep apnea and stroke can all affect driving.

 

In addition, many seniors also take multiple 
medications or combinations of medications that 
can make them drowsy or lightheaded, which can 
impair judgment or affect reflexes or alertness nec-
essary for safe driving. So, an annual physical or 
wellness examination and medication review is also 
a smart way to verify your mom’s driving safety.

 

Take a refresher course: AARP and the American 
Automobile Association (AAA) both have older 
driver improvement courses that can help your mom 
brush up her driving skills and under-stand how to 
adjust for slower reflexes, weaker vision and other 
age-related physical changes that can affect driving. 
Taking a class may also earn her a discount on her 
auto insurance. To lo-cate a class, contact your local 
AAA (AAA.com) or AARP (AARPdriversafety.org, 
888-227-7669). Most courses cost around $20 to $30 
and can be taken online.

 

Make some adjustments: Adjusting when and where 
your mom drives are another way to help keep her safe 
and 
behind the wheel longer. Some simple adjustments 
include not driving after dark or during rush hour 
traffic, avoiding major highways or other busy 
roads, and not driving in poor weather conditions.

 

Evaluate her driving: To stay on top of your mom’s 
driving abilities you should take a ride with her 
from time-to-time watching for problem areas. For 
example: Does she drive at inappropriate speeds, 
tailgate or drift between lanes? Does she have 
difficulty seeing, backing up or changing lanes? 
Does she react slowly, get confused easily or make 
poor driving decisions?

 

For more evaluation tips, AAA offers a senior driver 
self-rating assessment exercise (Drivers 65 Plus) that 
you or she can access at Exchange.AAA.com/safety/
senior-driver-safety-mobility.

 

If your mom needs a more thorough evaluation, 
you can turn to a driver rehabilitation specialist 
who’s trained to evaluate older drivers and offer 
suggestions and adaptations to help keep her safe. 
But be aware that this type of assessment can run 
anywhere between $100 and $500 or more. To locate 
a professional in your area, visit ADED.net or AOTA.
org – search “driving practi-tioner directory.”

 

When it gets to the point that your mom’s driving 
isn’t safe anymore and she needs to quit, you may 
need to help her create a list of names and phone 
numbers of family, friends and local trans-portation 
services that she can call on for a ride.

 

To find out what transportation services are 
available in your mom’s area contact the Eldercare 
Locator (800-677-1116), which will direct you to her 
area agency on aging for assistance.

 

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. 


Michele Silence, M.A. is a 37-year certified fitness 

professional who offers semi-private/virtual fitness 
classes. Contact Michele at michele@kid-fit.com. Visit 
her Facebook page at: michelesfitness Visit her Facebook 
page at: michelesfitness.

SWIMMING VS. WATER AEROBICS

Swimming and water aerobics are both excellent forms 
of exercise that offer unique advantages. Knowing how 
they differ and compare can help you choose the one 
best for you.

Swimming and water aerobics have a lot in common 
because they obviously both take place in the water. 
They use the resistance of the water to help your 
muscles work, get stronger, and make your body more 
toned. Since water makes you float, these exercises are 
easy on your joints, which is great for those who have 
joint issues. Exercising in water also helps keep your 
body temperature in check, so you won't get too hot 
during your workout (actually the sweat mechanism 
is diminished when exercising in water so be sure the 
water temperature isn’t too hot or you could overheat). 
Both trainings boost your heart rate, giving your heart 
a good workout, and they can be adjusted to suit different fitness levels, so everyone can join in. In both 
activities, you do various movements that work different muscles, providing a full-body workout.

Swimming stands out as a solitary yet highly versatile exercise that involves propelling oneself through 
the water using different strokes like freestyle, breaststroke, and backstroke. It is a full-body workout that 
places a strong emphasis on skill development, cardiovascular endurance, and overall strength. Swimmers 
engage various muscle groups, refining techniques to move efficiently through the water. Whether leisurely 
swimming or engaging in competitive races, this activity promotes individual progression and mastery of 
different strokes. With its focus on personal achievement and endurance, swimming is an ideal choice for 
those seeking a dynamic and self-paced aquatic workout experience. But it is repetitive so for someone 
who likes the variety of numerous movements it may get boring. Finding challenging ways to learn more 
strokes, mix them together and vary routines will help you stay in the water for an extended period of time 
while keeping it fresh and motivating.

In addition, swimming will teach you lifesaving physical skills and is truly a full-body exercise. You can 
go at your own pace, set your own personal goals and progress at a level right for you. Swimming takes 
breath control and coordination which can help your respiratory function and lung capacity. It also will 
burn more overall calories.

In contrast, water aerobics is a group-oriented fitness activity conducted in shallower water, combining 
aerobic exercises with resistance movements. Unlike the solitary nature of swimming, water aerobics is 
designed for social interaction, typically occurring in group classes. Participants perform movements such 
as jumping jacks, kicks, and arm exercises to enhance cardiovascular fitness, flexibility, and muscle tone. 
Props are often a part of the class adding variety and challenge. Things like pool noodles, water dumbbells, 
kickboards, aqua gloves, resistance bands and aqua jogging belts. The group dynamic in water aerobics 
fosters a sense of community and mutual support, making it an appealing choice for those who enjoy 
exercising in a social setting. With an emphasis on varied movements and the incorporation of resistance, 
water aerobics provides a joint-friendly alternative that targets different aspects of physical fitness while 
encouraging a supportive group atmosphere.

Water aerobics is also great for someone who doesn’t like to swim or may be fearful of the water. It is 
conducted in shallow water, typically ranging from waist to chest depth. This allows participants to 
maintain contact with the pool floor while still benefiting from the resistance and buoyancy of the water. 
It’s great for all fitness levels, incorporates a variety of movements and is available all year long through Y’s 
and other facilities with indoor pools. Great for fostering a social environment that promotes interaction, 
camaraderie, and mutual support among participants. For most, it’s a lot of fun.

In general, performing a specific exercise in the water will provide 12-14 times the resistance the same 
exercise would offer on land. Muscles can be worked through a full range of motion in the water which 
is great for strength and endurance. Moving in the water increases circulation and reduces swelling. For 
those who have any kind of chronic inflammation, working out in the water can help.

There’s no reason why you need to choose one over the other though, both are terrific for fitness and health. 
Try each one. You may even be able to find a class that includes both. One thing is for sure, exercising in 
the water is joint-friendly and comfortable. For anyone with joint pain it may make the difference between 
being able to exercise or not. You can start off easy and make it as strenuous as you like over time. You may 
even find some new friends along the way!


OUT TO PASTOR 

A Weekly Religion Column by Rev. James Snyder

THE KEY TO LIFE IS FORGETTING THE RIGHT THINGS

The thing that has concerned 
me as I have aged was about 
forgetting things. How could I 
remember everything when I was 
crowding my brain with all kinds 
of new things?

In this regard, there is no comparison between 
The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage and 
myself. I have a problem remembering, and her 
problem is forgetting. She can’t for-get anything. 
She remembers things that I don’t think ever 
happened. How she does that is above my pay 
scale.

My concern has always been that I would forget 
things I needed to remember and it would 
cause a lot of difficulty in my relationships. My 
biggest concern is forgetting the names of people, 
especially relatives. I can never figure out why 
some people have such weird names, hard to 
remember.

Thinking about this, something came to mind. 
When I was younger, I forgot a lot of things but 
all that forgetting did not keep me from growing 
older. In fact, I forgot some stuff on purpose just 
to get out of some jam. My aging had nothing to 
do with my for-getting.

I began to think that forgetting may result 
from something other than getting old. May-be 
forgetting is a way of dealing with some of the 
issues of life.

In thinking about this, I have concluded that the 
key to a good life is knowing what to forget and 
what to remember. If I can master this, I will not 
have any problems.

I’ve been trying to develop the art of forgetting 
in my life. If I know what to forget, my life will 
be better.

Number one on my list of not forgetting is The 
Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage. That is the 
hard one. I must remember all of the right things 
regarding her and forget all the other things.

When we started our matrimonial journey, I had 
no idea about this. My idea was to get along, just 
go along. That works with some people, but it 
doesn’t seem to work with me.

I have to make a list of things to forget and then a 
list of things to remember.

The list of things to remember is pretty long, 
including her birthday, our anniversary, our 
children’s birthdays and their anniversaries, and 
our grandchildren’s birthdays. Along with that 
list are the names of all of those people.

If I had charge of things, which I don’t, I would 
tattoo the names of our children, grand-children, 
and great-grandchildren on their foreheads along 
with their birthday. That sure would help me a 
lot.

Another thing on the list to remember was 
everything she said to me. I can’t tell you how 
many times she has asked, “Don’t you remember 
what I said yesterday?”

Now, the problem with that question is that 
she said so much yesterday it is tough for me to 
remember anything she said yesterday.

My list of things to remember gets longer every 
year.

But the things to forget could be even longer. I 
sometimes get the two lists confused, and boy, do 
I get into trouble.

It boils down to this. I must always remember 
every time she is right. But then I also must forget 
every time she is wrong.

I must keep alert when we are with some friends 
because somewhere along the con-versation, The 
Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage will say, “My 
dear, do you remem-ber…?” When that happens, 
I know that my sanity is on the line.

Or, another question would be, “My dear, 
remember our vacation last year?” Some-times, 
I do have a little bit of a memory, but not often. 
With a great smile, I will respond by saying, “Oh 
yes I do. It was the best planned vacation we ever 
had.”

I’m all right for the rest of the evening if I can get 
away with that. Because she really doesn’t want 
me to tell about the vacation just to go along with 
her idea of that vaca-tion. If I could remember 
something about our vacation last year, it would 
be an unusual episode of whose clock is ticking.

The biggest challenge I have is to forget every 
time she is wrong. I don’t know what it is about 
me, but these things I can never forget. She’s not 
wrong often, but when she is, I take great delight 
in that. I can’t reveal my delight to her in any 
fashion, but it’s there.

Maybe I cannot forget them, but I am developing 
the discipline not to bring them up in any 
conversation. Sometimes, I want to bring one up 
just to take advantage of a situa-tion, but thinking 
of that, I really do love living.

Knowing what to forget and what to remember 
has been an important key in my life. The big 
problem here is that I have a hard time choosing 
what to remember and what to forget.

I couldn’t help but think of what the Apostle Paul 
said in Philippians 3:13-15,

“Brethren, I count not myself to have 
apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting 
those things which are behind, and reaching 
forth unto those things which are before, I press 
toward the mark for the prize of the high calling 
of God in Christ Jesus.”

Forgetting the right things makes room for me to 
remember the right things. If I’m going to press 
forward in my life I must forget some things in 
the past.

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