Mountain Views News Saturday, January 24, 2026 
88 
Mountain Views News Saturday, January 24, 2026 
88 
KNOWING WHEN TO 
CONSIDER ASSISTED 
LIVING IN THE 
SAN GABRIEL VALLEY 

As the population of the San Gabriel Valley 
continues to age, many families are facing 
an important and often emotional decision: 
when is the right time to consider assisted 
living for an elderly loved one? While there 
is no single answer, recognizing the signs 
early can help seniors remain safe, supported, 
and connected to their community. 

One of the first indicators is difficulty with daily activities. Seniors may struggle with cooking, 
bathing, managing medications, or keeping up with household chores. In the San Gabriel 
Valley, where many older adults live alone in long-time family homes, these challenges can go 
unnoticed until a fall, illness, or emergency occurs. 

Memory changes are another common concern. Missed appointments, confusion while driving 
familiar streets, or forgetting to turn off appliances may signal that additional support is 
needed. Social isolation is also a growing issue locally, especially for seniors whose families 
live out of the area or who no longer drive. Loneliness can negatively impact both physical and 
emotional health. 

Family members often step in to help, but caregiver stress should not be overlooked. Balancing 
work, family, and caregiving responsibilities can quickly become overwhelming. This is 
where guidance can make a difference. Organizations such as Safe Path for Seniors, a local 
senior placement service, help families understand care options and navigate assisted living 
communities throughout Pasadena, Arcadia, Glendora, and the surrounding areas. 

Assisted living does not mean giving up independence. Many local communities offer private 
apartments, daily meals, housekeeping, transportation, and 24-hour support, along with social 
activities that promote wellness and connection. 

Starting the conversation early allows seniors to be part of the decision-making process. With 
the right information and local support, families can make confident choices that help their 
loved ones continue to thrive close to home. For more information, Safe Path for Seniors can 
be reached at (626) 999-6913. 

TOOLS TO HELP YOU FIND A PLACE TO RETIRE 

Dear Savvy Senior, 

What resources can you recommend for researching 
good places to retire in the U.S.? 
My husband and I are interested in relocating 
to a warmer climate when we retire 
next year.
Looking to Relocate 

Dear Looking, 

It’s exciting to think about relocating in retirement! Whether you’re considering seasonal escapes 
or a permanent change, there are a wide variety of digital resources that can help you 
find and research new locations. Here are some tips and tools to help you get started. 

Where to Retire? 

Deciding where to relocate when you retire is a big decision. There are many factors to think 
about to ensure the move supports your lifestyle, financial goals, and overall well-being. To 
help you identify some good retirement locations you need to consider things like cost of 
living, climate, taxes, health care, housing, crime, access to social and recreational activities, 
access to transportation and proximity to family and friends. 

If you’re at the beginning of your search, a good starting point is BestPlaces.net. This site 
compiles demographic data from numerous reliable sources, updates it regularly and lets you 
easily compare cities using different criteria, such as housing cost, climate, crime, religious 
practice, voting patterns and education level. They even offer a 10-question “Where is the best 
place for me to live?” quiz, which may suggest some locations you may never have thought of. 

There are also news and financial publications like U.S. News & World Report, Forbes, WalletHub, 
Bankrate and The Motley Fool that publish “best places to retire” ranking lists on their 
websites each year. These can give you an idea of popular retirement locations based on different 
sets of criteria. 

Once you identify a few good spots, here are some additional resources that can help you diga little deeper. 

Cost of living: Affordability is often the No. 1 factor when deciding where to relocate. To 
research and compare the cost of living from your current location to where you would like 
to move, use the previously mentioned BestPlaces.net, the Economic Policy Institute Family 
Budget Calculator at EPI.org/resources/budget and/or Bankrate’s cost of living calculator 
at Bankrate.com/real-estate/cost-of-living-calculator. And, because housing is a big expense, 
you can take a deeper dive into these costs at Zillow.com and Realtor.com. 

Taxes: Some states are more tax friendly than others. To investigate how states treat retirees 
when it comes to income, sales, property and other taxes, see Kiplinger tax guide at Kiplinger.
com – search “Taxes on Retirees: A State-by-State Guide.” 

Crime rate: To evaluate how safe a community or area is, the FBI Crime Data Explorer (cde.
ucr.cjis.gov) allows you to explore crime statistics at the national, state, and local levels. 

Climate: You can find U.S. climate/weather information at National Centers for Environmental 
Information at NCEI.noaa.gov. And to research climate change factors and the risks of 
extreme temperatures, wildfires, floods, hurricanes, severe storms, earthquakes and drought 
in different locations, use ClimateCheck.com and FEMA (Hazards.fema.gov/nri/map). 

Health care: If you’re enrolled or planning to enroll in original Medicare, check the coverage 
and availability of providers in your new location. Search by ZIP code for health care providers 
and facilities at Medicare.gov/care-compare, and check star ratings for quality of care. If you’re 
enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan and you move out of the coverage area, you’ll need to 
find a new plan in your new area. 

Transportation: If you plan to travel much, or expect frequent visits from your kids or grandkids, 
convenient access to an airport or train station is a big advantage. 

Once you have narrowed down your choices, spend a couple weeks in each location at different 
times of the year so you can get a feel for the seasonal weather changes, and so you can 
carefully weigh the pros and cons of living there. You may find that you like the area more as 
a vacation spot than as a year-round residence. It’s also a good idea to rent for a year before 
buying a home or making a commitment to a retirement community. 

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


SENIOR HAPPENINGS 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! …JANUARY BIRTHDAYS* 


Gerald Day, Mary Tassop, Judy Webb-Martin, John Johnson,
Mary Bickel, Marlene Enmark, Shirley Wolf, Ross Kellock, Ruth 
Wolter, Sandy Thistlewaite, Bobbi Rahmanian, Fran Syverson, 
Joy Painter, Judy Zaretzka and Becky Evans. * To add your name 
to this distinguished list, please call the paper at 626.355.2737. YEAR of 
birth not required 


The greatest joy I have every morning is not only getting 

up but also stepping in my office. I step inside, pause for a 

moment, and look around at all the books on my shelves. 
I have almost 10,000 books. And yes, I read every one of them. Well, except 
for commentaries and dictionaries. I love looking through all my books, 
and most of them, I know where I got them. Every once in a while, I’ll take 
one down and spend some time reading it. What would I do without mybooks? 

If you saw my desk, you would not be able to find it. My desk is such a mess 
of papers and folders, my laptop, and other things. But I love every bit of it.
When I retired, I had to have a room built at the back of our house for my 
office. I think it was one of the best things I’ve ever done. Walking into that 
office is a wonderful experience for me. Some days, I look at all of the books 
that I have written and remember working on that manuscript. I have over 
30 books at the present time. 

Every once in a while, The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage will come 
into my office while I’m working. She will step in, pause, look all around my 
office and then say, “What a mess you have.” I will look up to her with a bigsmile on my face and reply, “Where do you see any mess?” 

With sort of a grunt in her voice, she says, “Just look all around this office. It’s 
a mess everywhere. I don’t know how you can work in this environment?”
“It’s not a mess,” I respond to her, “it is my creative décor.” I’m sure she’s 
never heard that phrase before, especially coming out of my mouth. 

Several times, I walked into her Craft Room and noticed how pristine it is. 
When I walk in, I get a bit dizzy, and I’m not sure how to get out. Such organization 
is not my cup of tea. 

The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage is known for her organizing skills. 
If you want something organized, call her. I caught her once in my office 
trying to organize some things. I had to gently calm her down and walk her 
out of my office and set her in her chair. 

My philosophy is, if you can’t find something, you don’t need it. And if you 
need something, you’ll find it. I can tell how many times I couldn't find 
what I wanted at that time. I have learned to stop looking for it and get back 
to work. When I do that, all of a sudden, I find what I need. I’m not sure how 
that works, but in my office, it works. 

Unlike The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage, I do not have to have everything 
organized. And the word “messy” is not part of my vocabulary.
Often, I will ask The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage, “What do you 
mean by messy?” 

Oh, she will go on a long tirade explaining to me what she considers messy. 
I listen, but I do not comprehend what she’s saying. Messy is a part of me.
Not too long ago, while she was in her Craft Room, I peeked in and said, 
“Would you like me to organize your Craft Room?” 

She stared at me for a moment and then said, “I think I’m quite all right here. 
There is nothing here that you can do to organize this room. Just go to your 
messy office and get back to work.” I chuckled all the way down the hall towards 
my office. What would her room look like if I organized it? I’m pretty 
sure she would not be able to find anything she needed for any of her crafts.
Whereas in my “messy office,” I can find anything I want. If I can’t find it, I 
don’t need it. And if I don’t need it, I’m not going to worry about it. Life can 
bring you a lot of lemons, but I would rather have ice tea. Sometimes, as I 
walk around in my office looking at my library, I see a book I haven’t seen for 
a long time. With great delight, I go to my chair and begin reading it. 

All the books in my office have created a beautiful display that I enjoy everyday. Since my retirement, I can go in and out of my office as I please.
Recently, both The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage and I had the flu. All 
week I wore my pajamas when I went into my office. I could go in and out as 
I pleased, dressed as I pleased. 

As I was sitting in my office, thinking about this, I was reminded of a verse 
of scripture that addressed it. The Apostle Paul said, “Therefore, my beloved 
brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the 
Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord” (1Corinthians 15:58). 

According to The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage, my office may be a 
mess. That’s not the important issue. The thing that must be organized is my 
service to the Lord. That is the only thing that is crucial in my everyday life. 

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. 

OUT TO PASTOR 

A Weekly Religion Column by Rev. James Snyder 

IT'S NOT A MESS, IT'S MY CREATIVE 
DECOR! 

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