Mountain Views News          Saturday, October 10, 2015

THE GOOD LIFE

14

 Mountain Views News Saturday, October 10, 2015 

SENIOR HAPPENINGS

HOW TO PLAN AN AFFORDABLE FUNERAL


HAPPY BIRTHDAY! …October Birthdays*

Janda Ferris, Darlene Traxler, Margit Johnson, Sole Krieg, Ann Tyler, Pat Birdsall,

George Maurer, Dick Anderson, Barbara Cline, Eva Poet, Mary Jane Baker, Dixie 
Coutant, Cathleen Cremins, Lillias Eubanks, Alma Mays, Adie Marshall, Darlene 
Crook, Susan Gallagher, Maggie Ellis, Gloria Giersbach, Elva Johnson, Ellen O’Leary, 
Jenny Piangenti, Gail Ann Skiles, 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...................................................................

ACTIVITIES: Unless listed differently, all activities are at the 
Hart Park House (Senior Center) 222 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre

 

 YMCA San Gabriel Valley Intervale Senior Café: Monday-Friday at 
12:00 Noon 

(Participants are urged to arrive no later than 11:45 A.M.) 

All seniors 60 and up can take part in the lunch program. There is 
a suggested donation of $3.00 for those 60 and over and $5.00 for non-senior guests. Daily 
reservations are necessary as space is limited. Please call 24 hours in advance...626.355.0256

Tech Talk: Held on Monday, September 21st and 28th from 1:30-2:30pm. Learn how to use 
your new technology devises. Please reserve your space with the Hart Park House by calling 
626-355-7394.

Hawaiian and Polynesian Dance Class: Every Tuesday morning from 10am to 11am. Join 
instructor Barbara Dempsey as she instructs you in the art of hula. 

Bingo: Every Tuesday beginning at 1:00pm. Cards are only $0.25 each! Everyone is welcome to 
join. May be canceled if less than 5 people. 

Free Blood Pressure Testing: 2nd Tuesday of the month from 11am to 12pm. No appt. is 
necessary. 

Brain Games: Thursday, September 17th, 10:30am - 11:30am, improve your memory and 
strengthen your brain. Activities facilitated by Swati Puri, Community Liaison for New Wave 
Home care of Pasadena.

Free Legal Consultation: Wednesday, September 30th from 10:30am to Noon. Attorney Lem 
Makupson is available for legal consultation. He specializes in Family Law, Wills, Trusts, Estates, 
and Injury. Appointment are required by calling 626-355-7394. 

Chair Yoga: Mondays and Wednesdays from 11:00 to 11:45 am, except on the third Monday of 
the month. A suggested donation of $5 at one of the classes is requested, but is not required. 

Case Management: Meets the 2nd Thursday of the month. Case Management services are 
provided by the YWCA and provide assistance in a variety of areas. Appointments are required 
and can be scheduled by calling the HPH Office at 626-355-7394.

Birthday Celebrations: Every second Thursday of the month at the Hart Park House. The free 
birthday cake is provided by the Sierra Madre Civic Club.

Game Day: Every Thursday starting at 12:00pm. (Please note the time change.) A regular group 
of seniors play poker. Other games available for use. 

Free Strength Training Class: Every Friday from 12:45pm to 1:30pm with Lisa Brandley. The 
class utilizes light weights for low impact resistance training. All materials for the class are 
provided. 

Senior Club: Every Saturday at the Hart Park House Senior Center. Brown bag lunch at 11:30am. 
Club meeting at noon. Bingo 12:30-3:30pm. Annual Membership is only $10.00.

OKTOBERFEST (HUNTINGTON BEACH)
Date: Thursday, October 1, 2015
Time: 10:00am to 3:00pm


Meeting Location: Hart Park House Senior Center Cost: $16 


Description: Old World Oktoberfest Celebration includes live bands playing the most 
popular German Oom Pa Pah Music. The crowd is further entertained with a variety of 
dancing, singing, music and our ever popular Heidi, and her contortionist act. Oktoberfest 
menu includes fresh baked bread, your choice of either potato salad, red cabbage or coleslaw. 
The main entrée includes bratwurst, chicken, spaetzli (German Egg Noodles) with mushroom 
gravy, sauerkraut and red cabbage. Dessert and drinks include apple streusel cake, coffee and 
water. Alcohol is also available for purchase. Guests get to tour the European market, offering 
great selection of meats, cheeses, and deli items. Also German bakery, producing the best 
breads, bakery and dessert items. Participants should bring money for souvenirs. Last day to 
register is September 24th. Level of Walking: Low to Medium. Please call the Hart Park House 
626-355-7394.

EXCURSION REFUND POLICY

Notification of the cancellation must be made at least 3 business days before the excursion. 
A refund will only be issued 1) for a medical excuse or 2) if the Department is able to fill the 
patrons spot from a waiting list. This refund will be issued in the form of a credit which will be 
applied to the patron’s account with the City, less a $11 cancellation fee. The credit will remain 
on your account for one year from the date issued and the credit may be used for any program 
or service offered by the Community Services Dept. 


Dear Savvy Senior,

When my brother died last year, my sister and I 
had a regular funeral for him and got stuck with 
a $12,000 bill. Can you recommend some funeral 
cost cutting tips or cheaper alternatives? I don’t 
want to stick my kids with a big funeral bill after 
I’m gone.

Looking Ahead

Dear Looking,

With the average cost of a full-service funeral 
running over $10,000 today, many people are 
seeking alternative options to make their final 
farewell more affordable. Depending on how you 
want to go, here are some money saving options 
to consider. 

 Traditional funeral: If you’re interested in a 
traditional funeral and burial, your first money 
saving step is to shop around and compare funeral 
providers, because prices can vary. 

 If you want some help, contact your funeral 
consumer alliance program. These are volunteer 
groups that offer information and prices on local 
funeral providers. See funerals.org/affiliates-
directory or call 802-865-8300 for contact 
information. 

 There are also free websites you can turn to, 
like funeralhomeindex.com that lets you compare 
prices, and funeraldecisions.com that will provide 
estimates from local funeral homes based on what 
you want. 

 When comparing, make sure you take advantage 
of the “funeral rule.” This is a federal law that 
requires funeral home directors to provide you 
with an itemized price list of their products and 
services so you can choose exactly what you want. 
Be sure to ask for it. 

 Another way to lower your costs is to buy your 
own casket. You can save at least 50 percent by 
purchasing one from a store or online and having 
it delivered to the funeral home, and the funeral 
home providing the service must accept it. Two 
good casket-shopping resources that may surprise 
you are Walmart.com and Costco.com, which 
offer a variety of caskets and urns at discounted 
prices. 

 Direct burial: Another way to cut your funeral 
home bill is to get a direct burial. With this option 
your body would be buried shortly after death, 
skipping the embalming, viewing and use of the 
funeral facilities. If your family wants a memorial 
service they can have it at the graveside or at your 
place of worship without the body. These services 
usually cost between $1,000 and $2,000, not 
counting cemetery charges. All funeral homes 
offer direct burial.

 Cremation: An increasingly popular and 
affordable way to go, cremation can run anywhere 
from around $600 (for a direct cremation) up to 
$4,000 or higher depending on the provider and 
services you choose. To locate funeral homes 
that offer cremation or cremation providers in 
your area, look in your local yellow pages under 
“cremation” or “funeral” or visit cremation.com.

 Green burial: An eco-friendly green burial is 
another affordable option that costs anywhere 
from $1,000 to several thousand depending on the 
provider. With a green cemetery burial, the body 
is buried in a biodegradable coffin or just wrapped 
in a shroud, without embalming chemicals 
or a burial vault. The Green Burial Council 
(greenburialcouncil.org, 888-966-3330) has a state 
listing of cemetery operators who accommodate 
green burials, as well as funeral professionals who 
provide the services. 

 Veteran’s burial: If you are a veteran, you’re 
entitled to a free burial at a national cemetery and 
a free grave marker. This benefit also extends to 
spouses and dependent children. Some veterans 
may even be eligible for funeral expense allowances 
too. To learn more, visit www.cem.va.gov or call 
the VA at 800-827-1000.

 Body donation: Donating your body to a 
medical facility for research is another popular 
way to go, and it’s completely free. After using 
your body, your remains will be cremated and 
your ashes will be buried or scattered in a local 
cemetery or returned to your family. To locate 
body donation programs in your state, see anatbd.
acb.med.ufl.edu/usprograms. 

 

 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.


UPCOMING EXCURSIONS:


KATIE Tse..........This and That

ATTRACTIVE NUISANCES

It’s strange some of the 
things people feel passionate 
about. Politics and religion 
are up there, but there’s a 
host of unusual topics that 
really concern some folks. I 
recall one of my friends saying that she knew 
her boyfriend was “the 
one” in part because he 
had numerous spools 
of dental floss in his 
bathroom. She probably 
doesn’t realize that the 
rest of us might not 
consider dental hygiene 
a “make or break” issue. 
But I suppose we all have 
our own priorities.

 Many of our opinions 
were developed during 
the formative years of 
childhood. My mom 
always warns me of the 
dangers of “wedge” shoes 
that were popular when 
she was young. These high 
heels originated during the 70’s, and have been 
experiencing a vibrant rebirth in modern fashion. 
Since I am as far from fashion consciousness as 
Kim Kardashian is from a pair of size 3 pants, my 
mom’s admonition didn’t register with me. That 
is, until one of my professors broke both ankles at 
once by tripping on the two inch sidewalk incline 
outside our classroom. She was wearing wedge 
shoes at the time, and ended up in a wheelchair 
for months. If I had any latent interest in sporting 
wedges, that incident put me off them for good!

 Other opinions come from personal experience 
and aren’t necessarily common among the general 
public. My opinion about the dangers of carpeted 
stairs is an example of this. I was having lunch with 
a friend when the topic of stairs came up. If you 
have no strong feelings about carpeted stairs, please 
let me try to dissuade you 
from ever, EVER having 
them. Stairs on their own 
are dangerous enough. 
Thank goodness for 
building codes regulating 
the ratio of rises to treads! 
If you’ve ever walked on 
stairs not built to code, 
you know what I’m talking 
about. It takes complete 
concentration to not trip 
down the whole flight. 

 Adding carpeting just 
makes stairs all the 
more slippery. And if 
you’re wearing socks 
and walking on carpeted 
stairs, Watch out! My aunt 
knocked herself unconscious one night when she 
fell down her friends’ carpeted stairs. There’s still 
a dent in the plaster where her head hit the wall. 
One of my friends tripped when walking (in socks) 
down their flight of carpeted stairs while carrying 
his infant son. The child made it out unharmed, 
but my friend bruised a vertebrae or two. 

 The take away message is clear. So for all you 
wedge-wearing, carpeted stairs-owning people 
--you’ve been warned.


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