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Mountain Views NewsSaturday, September 21, 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! …SEPTEMBER Birthdays*

Clem Bartolai, Pat Hall, Donna Anderson, Teresa Chaure, Cathy 
Gunther, Esther Macias, Sheila Pierce, Nancy Sue Shollenberger, Patti 
O’Meara, Judie Cimino, Mary Steinberg, Geri Wright, Parvin Dabiri, 
Denise Reistetter and Nehama Warner, Virginia Mullaney, Gwen 
Robertson. 

 * 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


PETS AND SENIORS: A PERFECT MATCH

Pets can be a source of great comfort and joy 
for seniors, offering companionship, reducing 
stress, and improving both mental and 
physical well-being. As people age, they often 
experience loneliness and social isolation. Pets, 
whether dogs, cats, or even smaller animals, 
can help fill this void by providing consistent 
companionship and a sense of purpose.

Owning a pet has been shown to reduce 
stress, lower blood pressure, and alleviate 
anxiety. For seniors, this can have significant 
health benefits. Dogs, for example, encourage 
physical activity by requiring regular walks, 
while smaller pets like cats or fish offer comfort 
without demanding much physical exertion.

Choosing the right pet is important. Seniors should consider their health, mobility, and energy levels. 
Low-maintenance pets like older dogs, cats, or even birds may be more suitable than younger, high-energy 
animals. It's also important to consider the financial commitment involved, such as veterinary care and 
food costs.

For those unable to care for a pet full-time, alternatives like volunteering at animal shelters or 
participating in pet therapy programs can still offer the joy of interacting with animals without 
the long-term responsibility.

Overall, pets can provide seniors with emotional support, a sense of purpose, and a daily routine 
that enhances their quality of life, making them ideal companions in later years.


HOW TO ARRANGE YOUR OWN CREMATION SERVICE


Dear Savvy Senior:

I would like to arrange a simple 
cremation that doesn’t cost me, or my 
family, a lot of money. Can you offer 
any tips that can help me with this?

Still Kicking

 

Dear Kicking:

If you’re looking for a simple and 
affordable way to go, cremation is an 
excellent choice, and one that’s be-
come exceedingly popular in the United States. About 60 percent of Americans are now choosing cremation 
over a traditional burial, versus only around 20 percent in the mid-1990s.

 

Why the big shift? Price is a key reason. A basic cremation can cost as little as $700 to $1,200, depending 
on your location and provider, versus $7,500 or more for a traditional funeral and cemetery burial. Geogra-
phy is another factor, as many families are spread across the country, making future gravesite visits less 
common.

 

Here are a few tips to help you arrange your cremation and ensure you get a good deal. 

 

Shop Around

You can arrange a cremation through a funeral home or a cremation-only business, but it’s wise to shop 
around because prices vary widely. It’s not unusual for one funeral home to charge $1,000, while another 
charges $4,000 or more for the same service.

 

Call five or six funeral homes or cremation-only businesses in your area and ask them how much they 
charge for a “direct cremation,” which is the most affordable option there is. With direct cremation, there’s 
no embalming, viewing or memorial service. It only includes the essentials: transportation of the body; 
re-quired paperwork such as death certificates; the cremation itself; and return of the ashes to the family, 
usu-ally within a week.

 

If you want a viewing, memorial service or anything beyond what a direct cremation provides, ask the fu-
neral home for an itemized price list so you know exactly what you’re paying for. All funeral providers are 
required by law to provide this.

 

To locate nearby funeral homes, Google “cremation” or “funeral” followed by your city and state. You can 
also shop and compare prices from funeral homes in your area at Funeralocity.com.

 

Cheaper Urns

The urn is another item that can drive up your cremation costs. Funeral home urns usually cost around 
$100 to $350, but you aren’t required to get one. 

 

After cremation, your family will receive your ashes in a thick plastic bag inside a cardboard box. This is 
all they need if you intend to have your ashes scattered, but if your family wants something to dis-play, 
Amazon.com and Walmart.com both sell a wide variety of urns for under $50.

 

Green Cremation

If you’re an environmentally conscious person, there’s also a green cremation option you should know 
about called “alkaline hydrolysis” that chemically dissolve the body. This is a gentler, more eco-friendly 
pro-cess than traditional cremation, which uses combustion. It’s legal in more than 20 states, and costs 
around $2,000 to $3,500. Google search “alkaline hydrolysis” followed by your city or state to find for a 
provider.

 

Free Cremation

If you’re interested in a free final farewell, you may want to consider donating your body to a university 
medical facility. After using your body for medical research or surgical practice they will cremate your 
re-mains for free, and either bury or scatter your ashes in a local cemetery or return them to your family, 
usu-ally within a year.

 

To find a medical school near you that accepts body donations, the University of Florida offers an 
online directory at Anatbd.acb.med.ufl.edu/usprograms.

 

Whatever arrangements you end up making, make sure you tell your family your wishes so they 
will know what to do and who to call after your death. Also, if you have a written agreement with 
any funer-al/cremation provider, give them a copy to let them know if you’ve prepaid or not.

 

Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or vis-it 
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

OH, FOR THE LIFE OF AN OLD GEEZER

I am not given to complaining, except when I'm awake. That's according to 
The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage.

Lately, I've been leaning towards a complaining attitude. I've reached the point 
of being an old geezer. I'm older than both of my grandfathers, and in three years, I'll be up to 
where my father was when he passed away. I don't think of myself as old, just older.

There are some benefits to getting older, but I've discovered just as many negative aspects. I'm 
not as energetic as I used to be. I can't walk as fast as I used to. When someone talks to me, I 
have to think a bit about their name.

Don't let me get on about my health issues. When I was young, I didn't have all of these health 
issues, but now, I'm at that point in life where I do have health issues. Seeing my doctors is 
second only to seeing The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage. All the nurses in the various 
medical places I go know me by my first name. I don't know if that's good or if it's bad. I'm 
going to lean in the direction of good. After all, at my age I'm leaning in some direction.

When I was younger, I never thought about getting old. Every time I celebrated a birthday, 
it never occurred to me that this would continue until I became an old geezer. At the time, I 
used to make fun of my old grandfathers. Now, much to my disgust, I have become my old 
grandfathers.

I'm glad they're not alive to see that I have become just like them. They would've died laughing.

My father passed away when he was five years older than I am right now. So, in five years, I 
will be at my father's level. I'm unsure what level that is, and I do not even want to know.

I remember that, as kids, my siblings and I would sit around and laugh at our grandparents. 
I'm wondering if my grandchildren are sitting around laughing at me! I wouldn't blame them 
if they were.

The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage and I recently ate lunch together. I suppose we were 
celebrating something, but for the life of me, I can't remember what it was. We were at a 
restaurant enjoying ourselves. When the waitress came to our table to take our order, she 
asked how we were, and I responded, "Well, for an old geezer, we were doing fine." She smiled 
at me and said, "Does that mean that you both are senior citizens?"

I usually take offense at that classification. But under the circumstances I nodded my head 
and said, "Yes, we are senior citizens but I prefer old geezers." Looking at me, the waitress 
smiled and said, "You are in luck today. We have a senior citizen discount on everything on 
the menu."

I looked up at her and said, "Why, yes. We're both senior citizens." "In that case, you can get a 
20% discount on everything you order today." She took our coffee order and then went to get 
it for us. As she was gone, The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage said, "Are we old geezers or 
senior citizens?" I smiled and said, "Today we are senior citizens and tomorrow will go back 
to being old geezers." "I guess it's only about the money for you," she smiled.

After thinking for a moment, I finally responded, "I've never heard of an old geezer discount. 
Have you?" She shook her head and said, "I'll let you be a senior citizen today and will see 
what tomorrow might bring."

That next week, whenever we went out to a restaurant and, the waitress would say, "How 
are you doing today?" I would always respond by saying, "Do you have any senior citizen's 
discounts today?"

If they said "no," I would always respond by saying, "I'm just an old geezer today."

If they said "yes,"" I would respond by saying, "I'm a senior citizen today."

I'm trying to determine the differences between an old geezer and a senior citizen. Apart 
from the discount, I can't find any difference between the two. I'm an old geezer one day, and 
the next day, I have a senior citi-zen. Maybe I have the case of dementia.

At one restaurant this past week, the waiter came up and greeted me. I was having a rather 
crazy day, to put it mildly, so I told him, "I'm just an old geezer today."

"Well," said the waiter, "this is my last day here at this restaurant and so I'm going to give you 
an old gee-zer discount. You sorta remind me of my grandfather."

I was so sorry that The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage wasn't with me. We could have 
enjoyed a two-way ticket for the old geezer discount. She would have been happy, I think. If I 
keep from calling her an old geezer, my day is happy.

In thinking about this I remembered a verse in the Bible that addresses old age. “They shall 
still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing” (Psalm 92:14).

God still has work for me even as an old geezer. Finding that work is the joy of my life each 
day. This is not based on what I use to do, but what God has for me today.

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