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Mountain Views-News Saturday, June 8, 2024 


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Benefit from our extensive network and affordable 
options. Plus, we offer personalized tours to help you 
explore each community firsthand. Call (626) 999-
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SENIOR HAPPENINGS

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! …JUNE BIRTHDAYS*

Joanne Thrane, Nellie Haynes, Dorothy McKay, Diane Hatfield, Georgette 
Dunlay, Elizabeth Shula Donna Doss, Mary Carney, Carol Handley, Marilyn 
McKernan, Pat Fujiwara, John Shier, Beth Smith-Kellock, Ann Disbrow, 
Joan Ellison, Anne Montgomery, Trini Ornelas, Martha Spriggs, Pat Starkey, 
Kathleen Coyne, Suzanne Decker, Jacque Persing, Jeanne Peterson, Roxana 
Dominguez, Carolyn Lanyi, Claire McLean and Grace Sanders .

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


NEW HELP FOR DEALING WITH AGGRESSION IN PEOPLE WITH 
DEMENTIA

Caring for older adults with dementia is challenging, especially when they exhibit aggressive 
behavior, wander, develop paranoia or hallucinations, engage in repetitive behaviors, or refuse 
help from caregivers.

Up to 95% of dementia patients experience neuropsychiatric symptoms, which fluctuate over time 
and can be severe. These symptoms are a primary reason for institutionalization. “When people 
think about dementia, they usually think about forgetfulness and memory impairment,” said 
Mary Blazek, director of the geriatric psychiatry clinic at the University of Michigan. “But it’s 
behavioral and psychological disturbances that are most disruptive to patients’ and caregivers’ 
lives.”

A new website offers free training in the DICE approach (Describe, Investigate, Create, Evaluate) 
to help manage these symptoms. Developed by experts, this method addresses the root causes of 
troubling behaviors through comprehensive problem-solving techniques.

More than 16 million unpaid caregivers assist people with dementia at home. The DICE method 
helps avoid the overuse of psychoactive medications, which can have serious side effects. It 
encourages non-pharmaceutical strategies before resorting to drug therapy.

DICE involves understanding the person with dementia, the caregiver, and the environment. 
For example, if a patient resists bathing, potential issues might include arthritis pain, caregiver 
frustration, or an uncomfortable bathroom setting. Solutions could include changing the bath 
time, adjusting the environment, and using calm communication.

This toolkit, previously available only to healthcare professionals, is now accessible to family 
caregivers. Other online dementia training programs are also available, and resources like Best 
Programs for Caregiving can help caregivers find evidence-based programs near-by

THEAGENCY

Redefining real estate

STEVEN GALINDO

Estates Agent | Senior Real Estate Specialist

626-639-8548

TheAgencyRE.com

StevenGalindo.com

LIc# 01002784


DREADING A COLONOSCOPY? THERE ARE ALTERNATIVES


Dear Savvy Senior:

Are there any easier alternatives to a colonoscopy to 
screen for colon cancer? I just turned 60 and my wife 
keeps nagging me to get tested, but I hate the idea of 
drinking that laxative solution and being sedated for the 
procedure. Squeamish Steven

Dear Steven:

While a colonoscopy remains the most accurate screening test for detecting colon cancer (94 
percent accurate), there are other easier – although less accurate – tests available. But be aware 
that if the result of one of these tests are positive, you’ll still need to undergo a colonoscopy. Here’s 
what you should know.

Screening Guidelines

Colorectal cancer, which develops slowly over several years without causing symptoms especially 
in the early stages, is the second largest cancer killer in the U.S., claiming more than 50,000 
Americans each year.

Colorectal cancer screening guidelines from the U.S. preventive Services Taskforce and the 
American Cancer Society call for most adults to get screened starting at age 45 and continuing 
through age 75. Earlier screenings, however, are recommended to people who have an increased 
risk due to family history of colorectal cancer or polyps, or a personal history of inflammatory 
bowel disease, Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis.

But despite these guidelines, and the fact that colonoscopies save an estimated 20,000 U.S. lives 
each year, around 40 percent of eligible people don’t get screened.

Why? Because most people, like yourself, dread the laxative prep and sedation, not to mention 
the procedure itself.

But a colonoscopy is not your only option for screening for colon cancer. There are currently 
several types of FDA approved stool tests that you can take in the privacy of your own home that 
requires no laxative-taking/bowel-cleansing preparation. The two most accurate that you should 
ask your doctor about are the: 

Fecal immunochemical test (FIT): This test looks for hidden blood in your stool, which suggests 
polyps or even cancer. Your doctor will give you a FIT test kit to use at home. You take a small 
sample of stool and mail it to a lab to be analyzed. You don’t need to do any prep. The cost of this 
annual test is covered by private insurance and Medicare. FIT has an almost 80 percent accuracy 
rate for detecting colon cancer, but it detects only about 28 percent of advanced polyps that might 
turn into cancer.

Stool DNA test (Cologuard): This screening kit looks for hidden blood as well as altered DNA 
in your stool. Your doctor will order the test, and you will receive the collection kit in the mail. 
You do the test at home every three years and send your stool samples to Cologuard via UPS. 
No special prep or change to your diet or medication schedule is required. Cologuard, which is 
covered by most private insurers and Medicare, detects 92 percent of colon cancers but only 42 
percent of large precancerous polyps. It also may provide a false-positive, indicating that you 
might have cancer when you don’t.

New Blood Test

There’s also a new experimental colon cancer blood test you should ask your doctor about called 
the “Shield blood test.” This new test, developed by Guardant Health, detects more than 80 percent 
of colon cancers early when they’re most treatable.

Guardant is currently seeking FDA approval to market the test but it’s available now as a “lab-based 
test” (which does not require FDA approval) but it’s currently not covered by most private insurers 
or Medicare. Your doctor will need to request this test, which costs $895, at BloodBasedScreening.
com.

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 SURE MISS BEING A SPOILED BRAT

After my last doctor's visit, I went to the Publix pharmacy to pick up 
new medicine. Doctors have a pill for every problem in the world—if 
only they all worked.

I was early at the store, and my medicine wasn't quite ready. So, I decided to walk 
around Publix and get a little exercise.

Walking down one aisle, I noticed a little boy who seemed to be having some 
problems. He was arguing with his mother, stamping his feet and telling her, "I want 
that candy."

It was all his mother could do to keep him from getting out of control in the store.

I smiled and went down another aisle. About 15 minutes later, I was walking down 
another aisle, and there was another little boy who was angrily talking to his mother, 
stamping his feet and telling her, "I deserve those cookies. I want them now."

I tried to ignore that, walked past them, and headed for another aisle. I must confess 
I was chuckling and very glad I didn't have those boys in my home.

You won't believe it, but as I was walking down another aisle, there was another 
little boy doing the very same thing. I was unsure what he wanted because I couldn't 
understand him; he was Spanish. But he had the same characteristics as the other 
two boys.

I laughed as I went to the pharmacy to pick up my medicine and then headed for my 
car.

When I got home, I got a cup of coffee, sat on my easy chair, and began thinking. I 
couldn't get those three boys out of my head as they were acting like spoiled brats.

As I was reflecting on those boys, I had a terrible thought. I don't know where this 
thought came from, and I would like to chase it down the aisle. But when I was their 
age, I was also a spoiled brat.

I had forgotten about that stage in my life. I leaned back in my chair and remembered 
those days in my childhood. At the time, I didn't think of it, but as I look back, I, too, 
was a spoiled brat.

When I recall those spoiled brat days, I remember just how profitable they were. I 
was able to get most of the things I really wanted.

When my mother took me shopping, I remember that I put on my spoiled brat 
attitude and got what I wanted at the store. There were a lot of things, like candy, 
cookies, and even some ice cream. If I made a scene, my mother would do whatever 
she could to settle me down.

My grandmother was even better. I didn't have to go into too many temper tantrums 
before she got me what I wanted. All I had to do was stand up, look at her, and 
scowled very angrily, and she melded and gave me what I wanted.

Those were the golden days of being a spoiled brat. Whatever I wanted, I could get 
just by being a spoiled brat. At the time, I was very good at that, and I got much of 
what I wanted.

I'm not sure how long that spoiled brat era lasted, but I had the advantage of it all 
those times.

Sitting in my chair thinking about this, I had another thought.

Now that I'm married, how would The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage deal with 
me reinventing my spoiled brat attitude?

Could I get what I wanted just by acting like a spoiled brat? Would she cave to all of 
my desires just because I was acting like a spoiled brat? Maybe I could get an Apple 
Fritter.

What would be a good place to reinvent my spoiled brat attitude, and how would The 
Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage deal with it?

I spent the whole afternoon thinking about that. I had plenty of time because The 
Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage was out thrift store shopping for the afternoon.

I had to try to think back on how I invented that spoiled brat attitude that got me 
whatever I wanted.

Just as I was thinking about where to start, The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage 
came home.

She walked into the living room and said, "You will never believe what I saw at one 
of the thrift stores this afternoon. There was this little boy down one aisle that was 
going into some kind a temper tantrum to make sure his mother bought him what 
he wanted. He sure did make a scene there in that store."

She paused momentarily, and I wasn't quite sure what she would say next, but then 
she said it.

"If I was that boy's mother, and he ever did anything like that with me, I would take 
him home, spank him and ground him for a month. Nobody has any right to act like 
a spoiled brat."

My question for the afternoon was finally solved.

This got me thinking about what I read in the Bible. It was something Jesus said. 
“Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so 
to them: for this is the law and the prophets” (Matthew 7:12).

Thinking about this, would a spoiled brat like being treated the same way? I need to 
treat people the way I would like to be treated. Nice deserves nice.


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