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 Mountain Views News Saturday, March 30, 2024 


SENIOR HAPPENINGS

FREE ASSISTED LIVING PLACEMENT SERVICE

 

Discover the perfect assisted living community 
with Safe Path for Seniors. Our compassionate advisors 
specialize in assisting individuals with unique 
needs. Benefit from our extensive network and affordable 
options. Plus, we offer personalized tours 
to help you explore each community firsthand. Call 
(626) 999-6913 or visit www.safepathforseniors.com 
for free assistance.

.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! …MARCH BIRTHDAYS*

Cathy Flammer, Clare Marquardt, Karen Blachly, Carla Duplex, Ella 
Guttman, Viky Tchatlian, Mary Cooper, Sun Liu, Helen Wallis, Nancy Fox, 
Martha Cassara, Rita Johnson, Sharon Murphy, Heather Sheets, Mercedes 
Campos, Dorothy Webster,Terri Elder, Carol Cerrina, Amy Putnam, Sally 
Contreras

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


FREE SPECIALIZED PHONES 

MAKE IT EASIER TO HEAR, DIAL, AND CALL.

If you’re like many seniors, you could use a new telephone that increases the volume of calls so 
you can hear them better, or one with big buttons so dialing is easier. More than 90 specialized 
phones and devices for people with diminished hearing, vision, mobility, and other common age-
related conditions are available at no cost from the state’s California Telephone Access Program 
(CTAP), a Program of the California Public Utilities Commission.

This free Program is a vital and wonderful service for California seniors because it keeps people 
connected with family, friends, caregivers, business associates, and others. Unfortunately, despite 
the easy process of applying for one of the many specialized California Connect phones, many 
people put off getting onboard the Program.

There are California Connect phones that light up when calls come in, amplify sound, allow you 
to dial by pressing a picture, and use a speakerphone for hands-free operation. These phones and 
others are from top manufacturers and have all been tested by CTAP’s advisory board.

You can learn more about the Program and obtain an application by calling 1-800-806-1191 or 
visiting www.CAconnect.org. 

If you need help getting certified just ask a customer service specialist. There is no cost, age, or 
income requirement for this state Program, so there is no reason not to stay connected. 

This article is brought to you courtesy of Safe Path For Seniors


RECOMMENDED VACCINES FOR MEDICARE RECIPIENTS


Dear Savvy Senior:

My husband and I recently turned 65 and would like 
to find out which vaccines are recommended and 
covered by Medicare? New Beneficiaries

Dear New:

All recommended vaccines for adults, age 65 and 
older, should be covered by either Medicare Part B or Part D, but there are some coverage 
challenges you should be aware of. Here’s a rundown of which vaccines are recommended by 
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and how Medicare covers them.

Covid-19: Even though Covid-19 is no longer a public health emergency, it can still cause severe 
illness, particularly in older adults. Because the Covid virus continues to mutate, new vaccines 
are being developed to keep pace, so the CDC recommends that all seniors stay up to date with 
the latest Covid vaccines, including booster shots. 

All Covid-19 shots are covered 100 percent by Medicare Part B.

Flu: Considered an annual vaccination, most people of all ages receive flu shots in the fall when 
flu season begins. The CDC recommends seniors, 65 and older get a high-dose flu shot for 
extra protection beyond what a standard flu shot offers. The Fluzone High Dose Quadrivalent, 
FLUAD Quadrivalent and FluBlok Quadrivalent are your three options.

Annual flu shots are covered under Medicare Part B.

Pneumonia: These vaccines help protect against pneumococcal disease, which can cause 
pneumonia, meningitis and other infections. The CDC recommends everyone 65 and older 
get a pneumococcal vaccine. There are several different vaccine options available, so talk to 
your doctor or pharmacists to find out which is best for you or visit the CDC’s Pneumococcal 
Vaccination webpage at CDC.gov/vaccines/vpd/pneumo/public/index.html.

Medicare Part B covers both single dose and two-dose pneumococcal shots once in your 
lifetime. 

Shingles: Caused by the same virus that causes chicken pox, shingles is a painful, blistering 
skin rash that affects more than 1 million Americans every year. All people over age 50 are 
recommended to get the two-dose Shingrix vaccine, which is given two to six months apart, 
even if you previously received Zostavax. In 2020, Shingrix replaced Zostavax, which is no 
longer available in the U.S.

All Medicare Part D prescription drug plans cover shingles vaccinations, but coverage amounts, 
and reimbursement rules vary depending on where the shot is given. Check your plan. 

Tdap: Tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (whooping cough) are diseases caused by bacteria 
that can lead to serious illness and death. Therefore, a one-time dose of the Tdap vaccine 
is recommended to all adults. If you’ve already had a Tdap shot, you should get a tetanus-
diphtheria (Td) booster shot every 10 years. 

All Medicare Part D plans cover these vaccinations. 

RSV: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) can lead to pneumonia or bronchiolitis and can worsen 
other chronic conditions common among older adults, such as asthma and chronic obstructive 
pulmonary disease (COPD). The CDC recommends all adults, age 60 and older, talk to their 
doctor about getting one of the RSV vaccines (either Arexvy or Abrysvo), usually in the fall and 
winter months when the virus is most prevalent. 

Most Medicare Part D plans cover the RSV vaccine, but not all. If your plan doesn’t cover it, 
you can ask for a coverage exception. You can also pay for the shot out of pocket and then 
follow-up with your plan to get reimbursed. If you pay for the shot upfront, your plan must pay 
you back.

Other Vaccinations

There are other vaccines you may need depending on your health, lifestyle or travel plans. To 
help you get a handle on which ones are appropriate for you, take the CDC’s What Vaccines Do 
You Need? quiz at www2.cdc.gov/nip/adultimmsched. Also, talk to your doctor during your 
next visit about what vaccinations you should get. 

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

SECOND THOUGHTS CAN BE DANGEROUS 
TO MY HEALTH

Many things in life can be rather 
dangerous. For me, the most 
dangerous things in my life are thoughts.

I thought about this one day, and by the end of the 
day, I was in deep trouble. Thoughts have a way of 
doing that with me.

My New Year’s resolution one year was to have 
one thought per day. After the first week, I ran out 
of thoughts.

This year, The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage 
and I will be married 53 years. During that time, I 
discovered how vital just one thought can be.

If anybody thinks a lot, it is The Gracious Mistress 
of the Parsonage. She has everything thought 
through before I have a chance to even know 
what it is. Like most women, she is an expert in 
multitasking. That means it takes a lot of thought 
to do all those things simultaneously. She does it 
quite well.

She often says how many headaches she has 
during the day, and if I could put several thoughts 
together, I might tell her that those headaches are 
a result of all that thinking she does during the 
day. But, on second thought, I better just leave that 
one alone.

Over the years, I have tried to focus on thinking, 
but I haven’t gotten very far. This may be why I 
don’t have any headaches during the week. From 
my point of view, that’s one benefit that I relish 
every day.

I was once relaxing in my easy chair and staring 
at the ceiling. Looking at me, The Gracious 
Mistress of the Parsonage said, “Me thinkest thou 
ponderous too much.”

Once, while we were driving along the highway, 
she was driving, and I was staring out the window. 
She took one quick look at me, and said, “What 
are you thinking about?”

Looking back at her, I responded, “You’re not 
really thinking that I’m doing any thinking, are 
you? That’s way above my pay scale.”

Of course, she laughed, and I laughed along with 
her, but sometimes the truth is the truth.

One of her favorite phrases along this line is, “Do 
you have any second thoughts on that?”

Recently we were remodeling our house and 
adding a room that would be my office upon 
retiring. I had some really great ideas, at least I 
thought so, and I shared them with her. When 
I was done with my presentation, she looked at 
me and said, “Do you want to give that a second 
thought?”

It was enough for me to give her the first thought, 
let alone come up with a second thought. But by 
that time, I was all thought-out.

Then she gave me a whole list of her thoughts 
about the project and she did it so fast I couldn’t 
keep up with it and I had no idea what she was 
talking about. I was almost ready to say, “Do you 
want to give them a second thought?” I knew if I 
did that, her second thought may not be what I 
want it to be; if you know what I mean.

Over the years, we have become a wonderful team. 
I call it the T&N team. What that means is that she 
Thinks, and I cannot Nod my head in agreement. 
I’m sure I didn’t think that through, but I must 
confess it sure does work. It has produced almost 
53 years of marital bliss.

After 53 years of being “thought-free,” my life is 
quite remarkable. I’ve had very few headaches 
because there is nothing up there to ache.

Sometimes, The Gracious Mistress of the 
Parsonage will ask me about a particular problem 
and ask, “What do you think about that problem?”

After 53 years of the T&N team experience, I 
simply shoot back, “I’m not sure. What do you 
think about it, and what should we do?”

And when I say that, I can sit back and listen 
to all the good advice and nod my head at the 
appropriate places, and at the end, we both are 
smiling. No thought on my part involved.

The best thought I have ever had, and where I 
harbor no second thoughts, is when I asked The 
Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage to marry 
me. I’m not sure what her thought process was 
then, but I can assure you there were no second 
thoughts on my side of the aisle.

I can sit back and remember a lot of the things I 
did in the past. Of course, at my age, my memory 
is not up to par, but at least there’s a little bit left. 
There were a few times when I thought about 
something and then had second thoughts, and it 
was the second thought that got me into trouble.

I have learned that I need to gather all the 
information before exercising my first thought. If 
I have everything before me, then I can proceed 
to the next step in making a decision based on my 
thought process.

I remembered a special verse of scripture that 
encouraged me in this regard.

“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and 
sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even 
to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of 
the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the 
thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).

This is where I need to surrender all my thoughts 
to God and obey His Word.

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