12

 Mountain Views NewsSaturday, October 5, 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! … OCTOBER Birthdays*

Janda Ferris, Darlene Traxler, Margit Johnson, Sole Krieg, Mary Jane Baker, 
Dixie Coutant, Jill Frank, Cathleen Cremins, Adie Marshall, Darlene Crook, 
Susan Gallagher, Maggie Ellis, Gloria Giersbach, Ellen O’Leary, Jenny 
Piangenti, Anita Thompson, Linda Boehm and Angela Stella *

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


IS IT TIME FOR YOU TO GET THE LATEST FLU OR COVID-19 
VACCINE? PASADENA VILLAGE ENCOURAGES ADULTS 50+ TO 
STAY HEALTHY

If it has been a while since your last COVID-19 vaccination (or since you contracted the virus), it 
might be time for you to get the latest vaccination. And, fall is the time to get your annual flu shot, 
too. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is recommending updated vaccines 
for both COVID and the flu ahead of the fall and winter virus season. "Make a plan now for you 
and your family to get both updated flu and COVID vaccines this fall, ahead of the respiratory 
virus season," CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen said in their June statement.

The local nonprofit Pasadena Village is partnering with Webster’s Community Pharmacy on a 
vaccination clinic on Saturday, October 12, 9:00 to Noon and will give you a free $10 gift card 
in gratitude for everyone who is vaccinated during the clinic. Webster’s Community Pharmacy 
recently moved to a new location at 2333 Lake Avenue, Altadena, CA 91001. Pasadena Village, a 
nonprofit organization that connects aging-in-place older adults with each other and the resources 
in the community, will be distributing $10 gift cards to local establishments.

“I personally think that vaccines are crucial for older adults due to their weakened immune systems 
and higher risk of complications from preventable diseases. I also believe regular vaccinations 
help older adults maintain their health and independence as they age.” states Gwyneth Voong, 
Rph PharmD, Webster’s Community Pharmacy. “Pasadena Village is proud to partner with 
Webster’s which has been serving the local community for over 90 years,” states Pasadena 
Village Executive Director Katie Brandon. “It takes the entire community - partnerships like this 
between organizations and health providers, plus each individual’s decision to keep up with their 
vaccinations - to keep our community healthy.”

For questions about vaccinations, call Webster’s at 626-797-1163. Or learn more about Pasadena 
Village and register for the free clinic by visiting www.pasadenavillage.org or calling 626-765-6037.


HOW SSI BENEFITS CAN HELP STRUGGLING SENIORS AND THE 
DISABLED


Dear Savvy Senior:

What can you tell me about the 
SSI program and what are the 
eligibility requirements for seniors? 
I’m trying to help my elderly aunt 
who is very low-income. Searching 
Niece 

Dear Searching:

The SSI program that you’re enquiring about, which stands for Supplemental Security Income, is 
a program administered by the Social Security Administration (SSA) that provides monthly cash 
benefits to people that are disabled or over 65 based on financial need.

Currently, around 7.5 million people are receiving SSI benefits, but many more are now eligible as 
the SSA recently expanded access benefits by tweaking some of the rules. Here’s what you should 
know.

Eligibility Requirements

To qualify for SSI your aunt must be either age 65 or older, blind or disabled, and must be a U.S. 
citizen or lawful resident. She must also have limited income and assets.

 Her income as an individual must generally be under $1,971 per monthly, or $2,915 for couples. 
Countable income includes wages or any other kind of money your aunt earned from working, plus 
money she gets from other sources like unemployment, Social Security retirement, or gifts from 
friends, but also, free shelter.

And her assets must also be less than $2,000 or $3,000 for couples. This includes cash, bank 
accounts, other personal property, and anything else that could potentially be converted to cash. 
Her home, household goods and one vehicle, along with life insurance policies and burial funds 
valued under $1,500, do not count towards countable assets.

In 2024, the maximum SSI payment is $943 a month for an individual or $1,415 a month for a 
couple. But, if eligible, the amount your aunt would receive may be lower based on her income, 
living situation and some other factors.

To help you determine if your aunt is eligible for SSI, help her take the Social Security Administration’s 
benefits screening test at SSAbest.benefits.gov. This online questionnaire takes approximately 5 
minutes to complete and screens for a variety of benefits, not just SSI.

You should also know that most states – except Arizona, Arkansas, Mississippi, North Dakota, 
Tennessee and West Virginia – supplement the federal SSI payment with payments of their own. 
In some of the states that pay a supplement, your aunt may qualify for the state payment even if she 
doesn’t meet the federal SSI eligibility criteria.

How to Apply

If you think that your aunt is eligible for SSI, she (or you) can begin the application process and 
complete a large part of it online at SSA.gov/apply/ssi. If she’s disabled, she can apply for both SSI 
and Social Security Disability at SSA.gov/disability. Or, if she can’t apply online, call 800-772-1213 
and set up an appointment with her local Social Security office.

To help make the application process go quickly and smoothly, your aunt will need her Social 
Security number; birth certificate or other proof of age; information about the home where she 
lives, such as her mortgage, or lease and the landlord’s name; payroll slips, bank books, insurance 
policies, burial fund records and other information about her income and the things she owns; her 
proof of U.S. citizenship or eligible noncitizen status; and if she is applying for SSI because she is 
disabled or blind, the names, addresses and telephone numbers of doctors, hospitals and clinics 
that have information related to her condition.

For more information visit SSA.gov/ssi or see Social Security’s online SSI publication at SSA.gov/
pubs/EN-05-11000.pdf.

Other Assistance Programs

Depending on your aunt’s income, there are other financial assistance programs that may be able 
to help her like Medicare Savings Programs, prescription drug assistance, food stamps and energy 
assistance. To locate these programs, and learn how to apply for them, go to BenefitsCheckUp.org.

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

WHERE DO ALL MY NASAL FLUIDS COME FROM?

I am finally, in what I think is the last phase of my recent health 
confusion. My nose is dripping, and I think I use at least one box of 
tissues daily. I did not know I had so much of this in my body, and I 
am not exactly sure where it came from.

When I was young, I remember having a bad case of this kind of thing, and I asked 
my mother, "Mom, where does all my snot come from?"

I had never seen my mother as angry as she was then. She looked at me and growled, 
"Son, I never want to hear you say that word again. We do not use the word 'snot' in 
our house. We use the phrase, 'nasal fluids'. If you ever say the word ‘snot’, you will be 
in more trouble than you have ever been in your life. Do you understand me?"

Well, to be honest, I didn't quite understand what she was talking about, but you 
always listen to your mother, right?

Several weeks later, I was having the same situation, and I said, "Mom, where does 
all my sn… whoops, I mean my nasal fluids come from?"

She was quite generous, forgave me, and was happy I remembered what she said. I 
will never know where she came up with the phrase "nasal fluids."

I haven't thought of that for a long time, but it came back to my memory just this 
week. I'm unsure how the word snot compares with the phrase nasal fluids. I sort of 
think my mother came up with that phrase because I don't know anybody else who 
has ever used it.

But as I was thinking about this, I had yet to find out where my nasal fluids came 
from. This past week, my nose was running like Niagara Falls. With all that nasal 
fluid coming out of me, I must try to figure out where it comes from. If it comes from 
me, why isn't there a limit?

If nasal fluids were gold, I would be very wealthy by now. Unfortunately, they are 
not gold, and I am not wealthy.

This phenomenon makes it very difficult to go out in public. I'm sneezing, and my 
nose is running all the time. To go out, I have to take a half-dozen boxes of tissues. 
Even then, I have to be quick on the draw.

Everybody has this kind of problem, but I don't care; it's what I'm facing that matters 
to me. I have to take care of my own nose, and that's a fact with my hands up.

When I think I've mastered my nose and nasal fluids, I take a deep breath, and 
before I'm done, that fluid is running out of my nostril faster than ever before. What 
does it take to satisfy my nose?

It's too bad my mother isn't around. She's in a nursing home and suffers from 
dementia, so I couldn't ask her anyway. She would not remember. But if I can get 
back to my mother when I was a teenager, maybe I could find out from her what this 
nasal fluid is all about.

I have reached the point where I don't feel the fluid flowing out of my nostril. Because 
of that, I don't know if it's running down my face and dripping off my chin. What an 
embarrassing situation that is.

As always, The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage has somewhat of a solution for 
my dilemma.

One morning, she looked at me and said, "Why don't you wear a mask? Nobody will 
see anything about that because everybody is familiar with masks these days."

This is the most brilliant thing she's ever told me. I never thought of wearing a mask, 
which would prevent people from seeing what's going on behind the mask.

Nobody would notice me because many people still wear masks, and I would fit 
right in.

One day, I tried it, and it seemed to work, except when I got home and took off the 
mask, it was filled to overflowing with my nasal fluid. How all of that stayed in my 
mast without overflowing is something I'll never know. But at least nobody could see 
I was wrestling with this kind of problem.

Recently, I have been taking about a half-dozen masks when I go anywhere. I try to 
change my mask every hour, at least. That way, my nasal fluids do not overflow my 
mask, and nobody sees my problem.

Being able to cover up a problem, especially my problem is a challenge.

I must confess that I’m not very good at covering up any of my problems. No matter 
how much I try, the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage can always see through my 
endeavors.

My biggest challenge is dealing with the world. There is one verse that gives me 
comfort and encouragement. “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: 
and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that 
overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 John 
5:4-5).

My faith in Jesus Christ is what enables me to overcome the world around me. When 
I try to do this by my own cleverness, guess what? I always fail. My great challenge is 
to trust God when any problem comes my way.

Dr. James L. Snyder lives in Ocala, FL with the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage. 

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