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Mountain Views-News SATURDAY, JUNE 26, 2025

SENIOR HAPPENINGS

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY! …AUGUST Birthdays*

Nancy Beckham, Karlene Englert, Juanita Fernandez, Jeanette 
Francis, Joseph Kiss, Jacquie Pergola, Pat Miranda, Margaret 
Aroyan, Phyllis Burg, Beverly Clifton, Rosemary Morabito, Susan 
Poulsen, Joy Barry, Marcia Bent, Joan Spears, Ruth Torres, Jane 
Zamanzadeh. Helen Stapenhorst, Chandy Shair, Heidi Hartman, 
Erma Gutierrez, Margaret Switzer

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


THE GROWING NEED FOR SENIOR CARE:

What to Know About Hiring a Caregiver


The Growing Need for Senior Care: As the population ages, more families are facing the challenge of caring for 
elderly loved ones. With many seniors wishing to age in place, hiring a professional caregiver is becoming an 
increasingly common—and necessary—solution.

Senior care needs vary widely, from help with daily activities like bathing, dressing, and cooking, to more specialized 
medical support. Hiring a caregiver allows seniors to maintain their independence while receiv-ing the care 
they need in the comfort of their own homes.

“The key is to match the right caregiver with the right senior,” says Linda Morris, director of a local home care 
agency. “It’s not just about qualifications. Compatibility, personality, and trust are just as important.”

When hiring a caregiver, families can go through an agency or hire privately. Agencies typically handle background 
checks, training, and insurance, offering peace of mind. Private hires can be more affordable but require 
more responsibility from the family, including vetting and payroll management.

Experts recommend conducting thorough interviews, checking references, and discussing expectations clearly 
before hiring. It’s also important to observe how the caregiver interacts with the senior. A trial pe-riod can help 
ensure a good fit.

“Don’t wait until a crisis happens,” advises Morris. “Start planning early and include your loved one in the decision-
making process. It helps maintain their dignity and comfort.”

As demand for in-home care grows, so does the importance of choosing qualified, compassionate caregivers. 
With the right support, seniors can continue to lead safe, fulfilling lives at home—surrounded by familiarity and 
care.

For families navigating this journey, resources such as local aging agen-cies, senior centers, and online caregiver 
directories can provide guidance and support.

IS SOCIAL SECURITY STILL TAXABLE?


OUT TO PASTOR 

A Weekly Religion Column by Rev. James Snyder

Dear Savvy Senior:

Do I have to pay taxes on my Social Security 
retirement benefits? I heard that Presi-dent 
Trump’s big, beautiful bill eliminated that. 
What can you tell me?

About to Retire

 

Dear About:

No, the new law, better known as the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill Act’ did not elimi-nate Social Security 
taxes. It did, however, provide a temporary “senior bonus” de-duction (starting in 2025 through 2028) 
of up to $6,000 that will apply to taxpay-ers, age 65 and older, who earn up to $75,000 for singles or 
$150,000 for joint filers. If you earn over that amount, the deduction starts phasing out.

 

Also note that the senior bonus is a deduction, not a refundable credit, so it will not help lower-earning 
seniors who owe no income taxes.

 

Who Owes SSA Taxes?

Whether or not you’ll be required to pay federal income tax on your Social Securi-ty benefits will 
depend on your income and filing status. About 40 percent of Social Security recipients have total 
incomes high enough to trigger federal income tax on their benefits.

 

To figure out if your benefits will be taxable, you’ll need to add up all of your “provisional income,” 
which includes wages, taxable and non-taxable interest, dividends, pensions and taxable retirement-
plan distributions, self-employment, and other taxable income, plus half your annual Social Security 
benefits, minus certain deductions used in figuring your adjusted gross income.

 

To help you with the calculations, get a copy of IRS Publication 915 “Social Security and Equivalent 
Railroad Retirement Benefits,” which provides detailed instructions and worksheets. You can download 
it at IRS.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p915.pdf or call the IRS at 800-829-3676 and ask them to mail you a 
free copy.

 

After you do the calculations, the IRS says that if you’re single and your total in-come from all of the 
listed sources is:

• Less than $25,000, your Social Security will not be subject to federal income tax.

• Between $25,000 and $34,000, up to 50 percent of your Social Security benefits will be taxed 
at your regular income-tax rate.

• More than $34,000, up to 85 percent of your benefits will be taxed.

 

If you’re married and filing jointly and the total from all sources is:

• Less than $32,000, your Social Security won’t be taxed.

• Between $32,000 and $44,000, up to 50 percent of your Social Security benefits will be taxed.

• More than $44,000, up to 85 percent of your benefits will be taxed.

 

If you’re married and file a separate return, you probably will pay taxes on your benefits.

 

You can also find out if any of your benefits are taxable through the IRS online tax tool that asks a series 
of questions that will help you determine your status. To access this tool, go to IRS.gov/Help/ITA 
– click on “Social Security or railroad re-tirement tier I benefits - Are mine taxable?” 

 

To limit potential taxes on your benefits, you’ll need to be cautious when taking distributions from 
retirement accounts or other sources. In addition to triggering ordinary income tax, a distribution that 
raises your gross income can bump up the proportion of your Social Security benefits that are subject 
to taxes.

 

How to File

If you find that part of your Social Security benefits will be taxable, you’ll need to file using Form 1040 
or Form 1040-SR. You also need to know that if you do owe taxes, you’ll need to make quarterly estimated 
tax payments to the IRS, or you can choose to have it automatically withheld from your benefits.

 

To have it withheld, you’ll need to complete IRS Form W-4V, Voluntary Withholding Request (IRS.
gov/pub/irs-pdf/fw4v.pdf), and file it with your local Social Security office.

 

State Taxation

In addition to the federal government, nine states – Colorado, Connecticut, Min-nesota, Montana, 
New Mexico, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont and West Virginia – tax Social Security benefits to some 
extent too. If you live in one of these states, check with your state tax agency for details.

 

Send your questions or comments to questions@savvysenior.org, or to Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, 
OK 73070.

IS THAT MY GRANDFATHER'S HAND?

This past week, I thought of my maternal grandfather. I haven't thought 
of him for a long time because he died over 50 years ago. I'm not sure 
what inspired me to think about my old grandpa.

As a youngster, I used to spend summers with him on his farm. He owned a farm up 
in the mountains of Pennsylvania and had dairy cattle and hogs. So for many summers 
I spent with him on that amazing farm.

One thing I remember about my grandfather was his sense of humor. He was always 
telling jokes, and we all laughed, even though I had no idea what that joke was about.

For instance, "Why did the monkey not eat the banana? Because it was not appealing 
to him."

I knew there was a joke in there somewhere, but I could never figure it out, even 
though he told that joke probably 100 times. That was his favorite joke of all time.

I tried to think of all those jokes, and I still don't get the funny part of them. But, he 
was my grandpa, and therefore when he told a joke, I laughed. That's what a good 
grandson is supposed to do.

There was a time in the 60s when he had some health problems, and we needed to 
bring him down to Hershey, where his doctor was. I still remember that very clearly. 
We took him to the fast-food restaurant for lunch. This was the first time he had ever 
been at such a place. Up in the mountains where he lived, they did not have fast-food 
restaurants.

I remember we got him one of the big cheeseburgers, and we sat down to eat them. 
Grandpa looked at it for a few moments. Finally, he began to separate everything 
from each other. He laid the bun down and took out the lettuce and the tomato, and 
all that went with it. He separated them all from each other. Then he began to eat 
each element one at a time.

I never saw that before, and I'm not sure where he got that.

I then remembered something I did to my grandpa, which was to make fun of him, 
especially his hands. I looked at his hands and saw so many wrinkles I didn't know 
where they came from.

"Grandpa," I said, "how did you get all of those wrinkles on your hand?"

Looking at me, he replied, "Well, son, if you must know every wrinkle is the result 
of one year of hard labor." He looked at me and smiled, and then we both looked at 
his hand.

"Will I ever get hands like that?" Grandpa laughed and then said, "Only if you live as 
long as I do and work as hard as I do."

I had forgotten that conversation until just recently.

The other morning, I got up and went to my easy chair for my morning coffee. As I 
began sipping that delicious coffee, I happened to look at my hand, and I was scared. 
Is that my grandfather's hand?

I almost had a heart attack as I was looking at my hand and seeing my grandpa's 
hand. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. It was as if my grandfather's hand was right 
there holding my coffee cup. How in the world could that be? After all, he's been gone 
for 52 years.

I looked at that old wrinkly hand and soon realized that it was not my grandpa's 
hand. In fact, it was my grandpa's grandson's hand. It was like he was right there in 
front of me.

Processing that was difficult because I did not know how in the world grandpa's hand 
got on my hand. It was as if he were in the room with me at the moment.

Looking at my hand for a few moments, I begin to count the wrinkles on my hand. 
If what grandpa said was true, that every wrinkle represents one year of hard work, I 
must be 150 by now.

Sitting there, I remembered how many times I made fun of grandpa's old wrinkly 
hand. I'm not sure what to do, but I might start wearing gloves when I go outside.

In a few moments, I began to smile. The thought came to me that this challenge to my 
smile was, How many other aspects of my grandpa do I have?

This is an area I do not want to visit. But is it that my grandchildren are seeing me as 
I saw my grandpa?

The other night, while watching TV, there was a commercial about getting rid of 
wrinkles. I watched that very carefully, and for a moment, I was tempted to get that 
cream to get rid of all my wrinkles.

When the commercial was over, I sat back and thought very deeply. What is wrong 
with being like my grandpa? After all, he was a good man. What I should do is to live 
my life in a way that he would be proud. So, my wrinkles are here to stay.

Recently I read in the Bible a verse along this line. “Children's children are the crown 
of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers” (Proverbs 17:6).

I’m beginning to see that there are many things in my life that lead back to my grandfather. 
I need to leave something to pass that on to my grandchildren so when I’m 
gone they’re remember me.

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

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