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 Mountain Views NewsSaturday, June 22, 2024


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.

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


From The Desk of Steve Sciurba, Safe Path For Senior

FALL PREVENTION TIPS FOR SENIORS

Falls among seniors can have serious consequences, affecting both physical health and overall well-being. 
However, many falls are preventable with practical steps and awareness. Here are key strategies to reduce 
fall risk:

1. Exercise Regularly: Engaging in activities that improve strength, balance, and flexibility can 
signif-icantly lower the risk of falls. Consider exercises like Tai Chi or yoga that enhance stability and 
co-ordination.

2. Home Safety Modifications: Make your living space safer by removing clutter, securing rugs, and 
installing grab bars in bathrooms and stairways. Adequate lighting and non-slip mats also help pre-vent 
accidents.

3. Medication Management: Review your medications with your healthcare provider to identify any 
that may increase fall risk. Ensure prescriptions are up-to-date and taken as directed to minimize side 
effects.

4. Regular Vision and Hearing Checks: Good vision and hearing are crucial for maintaining balance 
and spatial awareness. Have regular check-ups and wear appropriate corrective devices.

5. Footwear: Wear sturdy, well-fitting shoes with non-slip soles both indoors and outdoors. Avoid 
walking in socks or smooth-soled slippers.

6. Stay Hydrated: Dehydration can lead to dizziness and increase the likelihood of falls. Drink plenty 
of water throughout the day.

7. Use Assistive Devices: If needed, use canes, walkers, or other assistive devices to aid mobility and 
stability. Ensure they are properly fitted and maintained.

Best Wishes,

Steve Sciurba

Senior Placement Specialist

(626) 999-6913

www.safepathforseniors.com


DO YOU NEED A DIGITAL WILL?

Dear Savvy Senior:

My wife and I had our estate plan – including a will, 
power of attorney and advance directive – drawn up 
about 10 years ago but have recently read that our plan 
should include a digital will too. What can you tell us 
about this?

Almost 80

 

Dear Almost:

If you or your wife spend much time online, adding a separate digital will document to your es-
tate plan that provides a list of your digital assets would be extremely helpful to your loved ones 
when you die, not to mention it will help protect your privacy. Here’s what you should know.

 

Do You Have Digital Asset?

The term “digital assets” refers to personal information that is stored electronically on either a 
computer or an online cloud server account that belongs to an individual. Anyone who uses email, 
has a PIN code protected cell phone, makes online purchases, or pays bills online has digi-tal 
assets.

 

Digital assets generally require a username, a password, or a PIN to access and can be difficult if 
not impossible to retrieve if someone is incapacitated or passes away.

 

Creating a digital will (also known as a digital estate plan) will help your loved ones access your 
electronic devices and online accounts more easily so they can manage your electronic affairs, 
according to your wishes, after you’re gone. This in turn will also protect your digital assets from 
hackers or fraud, which can happen to dormant accounts after you die.

 

How to Write a Digital Will

Your first step in creating a digital will is to make an inventory list of your digital assets, which 
includes everything from hardware to email accounts. Here are a few categories to help kick-start 
your list:

• Electronic devices (computer, smartphone, tablet, external hard drive).

• Digital files (for photos, videos or documents)

• Financial accounts (like bank and brokerage accounts, credit cards, cryptocurrency).

• Bill paying accounts (utilities, mortgage accounts)

• Social media accounts (like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn).

• Email accounts (Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook, etc.).

• Cloud-storage accounts (like Google Cloud, iCloud, Dropbox, Microsoft OneDrive)

• Movie or music streaming services (like Netflix, Hulu, Spotify, Apple Music)

• Online purchasing accounts (like Venmo or PayPal)

• Subscription services (magazines, newspapers, Amazon Prime, etc.).

• Reward programs (travel, stores, etc.).

• Membership organizations (AARP, AAA, etc.).

 

When making your list, you’ll need to include usernames, passwords, PINS, account numbers or 
security questions for accessing each account. And provide instructions on how you want your 
assets managed after your death. For example: Do you want certain accounts closed, archived or 
transferred? Do you want specific files or photos to be deleted or shared with loved ones? Do you 
want your social media profiles memorialized or deleted? Be clear and specific about your wishes.

 

You’ll also need to appoint a digital executor that you trust to execute your wishes after you die.

 

From a legal perspective, you should know that most states have enacted the Revised Uniform 
Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act (RUFADAA), which legally recognizes digital estates. This 
law gives your personal representative or executor legally protected access to your online accounts.

 

Once your digital will is written, store it with your other estate plan documents either in a fire-
proof safe or file cabinet at home, on your computer hard drive, with your estate planning attor-
ney or online at a reputable digital estate planning service like Everplans.com or Clocr.com. But 
make sure your executor knows where it is and has access to it.

 

Also remember to keep your digital will updated regularly when you create any new digital ac-
counts or change passwords.

 

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

DID YOU SEE MY KEYS?

My life has been bombarded 
with questions from the 
beginning of the day until I 
fall asleep at night.

For the most part, I don’t prioritize 
questions. Usually, when people ask me a 
question, there is something behind that 
question. If I don’t see what’s behind the 
question, I could answer it in such a way as 
to get myself in trouble—and believe me, 
I’ve been in trouble many times before.

This is no truer than with The Gracious 
Mistress of the Parsonage. She can taunt 
me with a question out of nowhere. I get in 
deep trouble when I realize what is behind 
the question.

A good example is the other day when she 
came into the living room and, with both 
hands on her hips, said, “Did you see my 
key?”

At first, I had no idea what she was talking 
about. Usually, when she asks a question, 
I have been in Lala land for so long that I 
couldn’t bring my thoughts together.

I looked back at her and said, “Oh, my dear, 
what key are you talking about?”

Looking into her purse, you will find she 
has a key to everything. I refuse to ramble 
through those keys because I might find a 
key she has for me. Of course, if I had seen 
that key, it might have solved a lot of my 
problems, or it might not have.

Responding to me, she said, “You know, the 
key to my car.”

“You mean to your Sissy Van?”

I could hear her grit her teeth as she stared 
at me with one of “those stares”.

“I had my key yesterday and I cannot find it 
today. Have you seen it?”

If I had seen her keys, this would’ve been a 
great opportunity for me. I could use them 
as a bargaining chip to get something for 
myself. Oh, how I wished I knew where that 
key was. Imagine what I could get for it.

“I’m sorry,” I said reluctantly, “I have not 
seen your key anywhere.”

On occasion, I have driven her Sissy Van, 
but it’s been well over a year since I did. I 
tried to think of where those keys might be, 
and I searched a few places, but as always, I 
came up empty; what I wouldn’t give to be 
able to find that key.

That’s the way life is for me. I have an 
opportunity before me, but I just don’t have 
the resources to seize it.

I hadn’t seen her key for so long that I 
didn’t even know what it looked like. But 
that didn’t keep me from looking around 
because finding those keys would have been 
a treasure.

One thing about The Gracious Mistress of 
the Parsonage, when she starts something 
she never stops until she finishes it. Most 
of the time, it drives me crazy, which, 
according to her, is a very short drive.

If I don’t find something I need at the time, I 
just quit looking, knowing that when I least 
expect it and when I’m not looking for it, I 
will find it. That’s happened to me so many 
times I can’t recall.

A friend used to say, “If you have something, 
you usually don’t need it, and when you 
need something, you usually don’t have it.” 
That seems to be the rule in my life as far 
back as I can remember.

With The Gracious Mistress of the 
Parsonage, she must have it right then and 
there when she needs something. “Now” is 
her favorite word.

Trying to console her, I said, “If you just 
make up your mind that you don’t need 
your keys right now, because you do have 
a spare key, you sooner or later will find it 
when you least expect it. That’s just the way 
life is.”

I can remember a dozen things I lost, and no 
matter how hard I looked for them, I could 
never find them. Then, I found them when I 
gave up and started something else and just 
assumed they were gone forever.

It was the next day, and I had forgotten 
about her lost key. The Gracious Mistress of 
the Parsonage came to me and said, “Well, I 
found my key.” She said it as though she was 
rubbing it in my face.

“Where did you find it?” I asked, curious to 
find out where it had been all this time.

Looking at me a little nervously, she said, 
“I found it in my purse.” She paused for 
a moment and then continued, “There’s 
a little pocket in front of one of my other 
pockets in my purse. I always forget that it’s 
there, and I never looked until today.”

I was happy for her and congratulated her 
on finding her lost key. The key was not lost; 
she had just forgotten where she had put it.

In my Bible reading today I read a very 
important verse. “For the Son of man is 
come to seek and to save that which was 
lost” (Luke 19:10).

There was a time when I was lost spiritually 
and didn’t know it. The whole reason for 
Jesus to come into this world was for lost 
people just like me. At the time I thought 
I was fine, but then God interrupted my 
life and showed me I was indeed lost. It is 
through Jesus that I found my way back to 
God.

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


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