Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, January 15, 2022

Mountain Views-News Saturday, January 15, 2022 

HOW TO RECOGNIZE A MINI-STROKE AND WHAT TO DO 

Dear Savvy Senior:
How can a person know if they’ve had a minor stroke? My 72-year-old mother had a spell a few weeks ago where 
she suddenly felt dizzy for no apparent reason and had trouble walking and speaking, but it went away, and she 
seems fine now. Concerned Son 

Dear Concerned: 
The way you’re describing it, it’s very possible that your 
mom had a “mini-stroke” also known as a transient ischemic 
attack (TIA), and if she hasn’t already done so she 
needs to see a doctor as soon as possible. 

Each year, around 250,000 Americans have a mini-
stroke, but less than half of them realize what’s happening. 
That’s because the symptoms are usually fleeting 
– lasting only a few minutes, up to an hour or two 
– causing most people to ignore them or brush them offas no big deal. But anyone who has had a mini-stroke is much more likely to have a full-blown stroke, which 
can cause long-term paralysis, impaired memory, loss of speech or vision, and even death. 


A mini-stroke is caused by a temporary blockage of blood flow to the brain and can be a warning sign that a 
major stroke may soon be coming. That’s why mini-strokes need to be treated like emergencies. 

Who’s Vulnerable? 
A person is more likely to suffer a TIA or stroke if they are overweight or inactive, have high blood pressure, 
elevated cholesterol or diabetes. Other factors that boost the risks are age (over 60), smoking, heart disease, 
atrial fibrillation and having a family history of stroke. Men also have a greater risk for stroke than women, and 
African Americans and Hispanics are at higher risk than those of other races. 

Warning SignsThe symptoms of a mini-stroke are the same as those of a full-blown stroke, but can be subtle and short-lived, 
and they don’t leave any permanent damage. They include any one or combination of the following: 

Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body.
Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding.
Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes.
Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination.
Sudden, severe headache with no known cause. 

The easiest way to identify a stroke is to use the F.A.S.T. test to identify the symptoms. 

F (Face): Ask the person to smile. Does one side of the face droop? 
A (Arm): Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward? 
S (Speech): Ask the person to say a simple sentence. Is their speech slurred? 
T (Time): If you observe any of these signs of stroke, call 911. 

Get HelpIf these warning signs sound like what happened to your mom, but they went away, she needs to go to the 
emergency room or nearby stroke center. 

If the doctor suspects a TIA, he or she will run a series of tests to determine what caused it and assess her risk 
of a future stroke. Once the cause has been determined, the goal of treatment is to correct the abnormality and 
prevent a full-blown stroke. Depending on the cause(s), her doctor may prescribe medication to reduce the 
tendency for blood to clot or may recommend surgery or a balloon procedure (angioplasty). 

For more information on mini-strokes and how to recognize one, visit the American Heart Association/American 
Stroke Association at StrokeAssociation.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. 


FAMILY MATTERS

 By Marc Garlett 

PREVENTING FAMILY CONFLICT AND DISPUTES 
OVER YOUR ESTATE PLAN - PART 2 

No matter how well you think you know your loved ones, it’s impossible to pre


dict exactly how they’ll behave when you die or if you become incapacitated. No 
one wants to believe their family members would ever end up fighting one another in court over inheritance 
issues or a loved one’s life-saving medical treatment, but the fact is, we see it all the time. 

Family dynamics are extremely complicated and prone to conflict even during the best of times. But when 
tragedy strikes a member of the household, even minor tensions and disagreements can quickly evolve into 
bitter conflict. And when access to money (or quite often, sentimental items of furniture or jewelry) is on the 
line, the potential for discord is exponentially increased. Ultimately, there is no greater cost to families than 
the cost of lost relationships after the death or incapacity of a loved one. 

The good news is you can dramatically reduce the chances for conflict in your family by working with an 
experienced estate planning lawyer, who understands and can anticipate these dynamics. In fact, preventing 
family conflict is one of the primary reasons to work with a good attorney, to create your estate plan, rather 
than relying on do-it-yourself estate planning documents. 

By becoming aware of some of the leading causes of conflict over your estate plan, you’re in a better position 
to prevent those situations through effective planning. In Part 1 of this series, we looked at the problems 
caused by poor fiduciary selection. In part two, we’re going to examine another leading cause for family 
conflicts after a death occurs. 

Contesting the Validity of a Will or TrustThe validity of your will and/or trust can be contested in court for a few different reasons. If such a contest 
is successful, the court declares your will or trust invalid, which effectively means the document(s) never 
existed in the first place. This would likely be disastrous for everyone involved, especially your intended 
beneficiaries. 

However, just because someone disagrees with what they received in your will or trust doesn’t mean that 
person can contest it. Whether or not the individual agrees with the terms of your document is irrelevant. 
Rather, they must prove that your document is invalid (and should be thrown out) based on one or more of 
the following legal grounds: 

The document was improperly executed (signed, witnessed, and/or notarized) as required by law.
You did not have the necessary mental capacity at the time you created the document.
Someone unduly influenced or coerced you into creating or changing the document.
The document was procured by fraud. 

Additionally, only those individuals with “legal standing” can contest your will or trust. 
Just because someone was intimately involved in your life, even a blood relative, doesn’t automatically mean 
they can legally contest your plan. 

Those with the potential for legal standing generally fall into two categories: 1) family members who would 
inherit—or inherit more—under state law if you never created the document, and 2) beneficiaries (family, 
friends, and charities) named or given a larger bequest in a previous version of the document. 

Solution: There are times when family members might contest your will and/or trust over legitimate concerns, 
such as if they believe you were tricked or coerced into changing your plan by an unscrupulous caregiver. 
However, that’s not what we’re addressing here. 

We’re talking about—and seeking to prevent—contests that are attempts by disgruntled family members 
and/or would-be beneficiaries trying to improve the benefit they received through your plan. We also want 
to prevent contests that result from disputes between members of blended families, particularly those that 
arise between spouses and children from a previous relationship. 

First off, working with an experienced lawyer is critically important if you have one or more family members 
who are unhappy—or who may become unhappy—with how they are treated in your estate plan. 

Some of the leading reasons for unhappiness include having a plan which benefits some children more than 
others, as well as when your plan benefits friends, unmarried domestic partners, or other individuals instead 
of, or in addition to, your family. The potential for conflict also increases when you name a third-party 
trustee to manage an adult beneficiary’s inheritance to prevent them from being negatively affected by the 
sudden windfall. 

To reduce the likelihood of dispute, it’s crucial that your estate plan contain clear and unambiguous terms 
spelling out the beneficiaries’ exact rights, along with the rights and responsibilities of executors and/or 
trustees. Such precise terms help ensure all parties know exactly what you intended. 

Beyond having a sound plan in place, it’s also crucial that you clearly communicate your intentions to everyone 
affected by your will or trust while you’re still alive, rather than having them learn about it when you’re 
no longer around. Indeed, we often recommend holding (and often help facilitate) a family meeting to go 
over everything with all impacted parties. 

Prevent Disputes Before They HappenThe best way to deal with estate planning disputes is to do everything possible to make sure they never occur 
in the first place. This means working with an experienced estate planning attorney to put strategies in place 
aimed at anticipating and avoiding common sources of conflict. Moreover, it means constantly reviewing 
and updating your plan to keep pace with your changing circumstances and family dynamics. 

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, 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 
SENIOR ACTIVITIES IN SIERRA MADRE 

THE HART PARK HOUSE SENIOR CENTER IS OPEN!!!!

 In house lunch dining service will not resume at this time. Access to the computer/
classroom is temporarily unavailable. All Classes and programs will maintain a distance 
of 6 ft between participants. All equipment used will be sanitized after each 
use before it is stored. Each participant is responsible for providing their own water, 
masks and additionally needed supplies for each class. Please call the Community 
Services Department at 355-7394 with any questions or concerns. 

DOMINOES TRAIN GAME- Wed. 1/5 & 1/19, 11:00 am— 12:30 pm, Hart Park HouseThe object of the game is for a player to play all the tiles from their hand onto one or more 
trains, emanating from a central hub or “station”. Call Lawren with questions that you may 
have. Led by volunteer Loni. 

PAINT PALS - Tuesday, 1/11 & 1/25, 10:00 am, Hart Park HouseIf you enjoy painting, sketching, water color, or making some other form of artistic creation 
please join our new program, PAINT PALS!!! Bring a project that you are working on to the 
HPH and enjoy some quality art time with other artists looking to paint with a new pal. 

BOOK CLUB - Wednesday, 1/11 & 1/18, 9:00 am, Hart Park HouseStaff has launched a new book club series, Tea and Talk, which meets twice a month to discuss 
the fun, suspense, intrigue, love and so much more that each selection will have in store! 

FIBER FRIENDS - Tuesday, 1/4 & 1/18, 10:00 am, Hart Park House 
If you enjoy knitting, crocheting, embroidery, needlepoint, bunka, huck, tatting or cross stitch 
then we have a group for you! Bring your current project, a nonalcoholic beverage, then sit 
and chat with like-minded fiber friends. 

BLOOD PRESSURE - 2nd Tuesdays Monthly, 11:00 am - 12:00 pm 
No appointment is necessary. Held in the Hart Park House Senior Center. 

TAX ASSISTANCE – Wednesday, 1:00 pm-2:00 pm, Hart Park HouseBeginning February 2nd – April 6th, Don Brunner is available for income tax consultation. 
Appointments are required: Please call 626-355-5278 x704. 

CHAIR YOGA - Every Monday and Wednesday, 10-10:45 am, Hart Park HousePlease join us for some gentle stretching, yoga, balance exercise and overall relaxation with 
Paul. Classes are ongoing. 

HULA AND POLYNESIAN DANCING – every Friday, 10-10:45 am, Hart Park HouseBring a lei, your flower skirt or just your desire to dance! Hula in the park is back and waiting 
for you to join the fun. 

SENIOR CINEMA – Wednesday 1/12 and 1/26 beginning at 1:00 pm, Hart Park House 


CRUELLA, PG-13 2h14m 

BEING THE RICARDOS, R 2h 5m 

For more information please call 
Lawren Heinz at 626-355-5278 or email 
lheinz@cityofsierramadre.com 


OUT TO PASTOR 

A Weekly Religion Column by Rev. James Snyder 

JUST KISSED YESTERDAY GOODBYE 


Focus is an essential part 

of getting something done. 

Sometimes my focus is 

more on yesterday than 
it is today. I waste a lot of time looking 
backward. 

The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage often 
rebukes me because I look in the past. I 
talk more about yesterday than I do today. 
On the other hand, she is always focused on 
today and what can be done today. 

I look back and see yesterday and what I 
didn’t accomplish. I try to relive yesterday, 
and it never works. 

My father used to tell me, “If you were supposed 
to look behind you, God would’ve 
put eyes in the back of your head. God 
knows what He’s doing.” 

The older I get, the more sense that makes 
to me. I can waste all my time looking back 
or investing my time in today and looking 
forward. I can’t look both ways. 

Of course, it is pretty hard to transition as a 
husband. My wife will ask me many times, 
“Did you remember to do….” Then she 
fills in the blank with many things that she 
wanted me to do yester-day. 

I once, and only once, tried to make a joke 
out of it and said to her, “Yesterday is over, 
and I have nothing more to do with it.” 

The lecture I got on that subject from her 
entitles me to some Ph.D. degree in something 
or other. (PhD is simply Pretty Hard 
to Disagree.) 

Amazingly, the one in our house who is always 
focused on today is concerned about 
my yesterday. I’m not going to approach her 
on that subject; I like my life as it is right 
now. 

One of the hardest things that I have in life 
is saying goodbye to somebody. When I 
went off to Bible school, I remember saying 
goodbye to my parents, which was a tough 
thing to do. The Bible school was maybe 10 
hours away from where we lived. So when 
I said goodbye, I knew I was leaving and I 
wouldn’t have access to them as I have had. 

This was before cell phones, texting and the 
Internet. My only contact was the landline 
house phone. I could not call them when I 
wanted to, as we can do today. 

Today, all I have to do is send a text message 
no matter the time of day, and they will respond 
to me when they get the text. 

Saying goodbye to my parents and moving 
out of the house was a chore for me in 
many regards. I had no idea what I was going 
to be doing. I did not have any idea how 
I would take care of myself. At that time I 
was focused on looking forward and was 
excited about what I would experience. 

It was then that I first discovered what it 
means to kiss yesterday goodbye. 

When I said goodbye to my parents at that 

point, I put everything behind me, and I 
was going to experience a new adventure 
that I didn’t know much about. For me, it 
was exciting. It was a time to try new things 
and new experiences. 

I was soon to learn the key ingredient in 
kissing yesterday goodbye. 

I had no idea what was before me when I 
closed yesterday, but I was anxious to navigate 
new wa-ters in my life. 

At this Bible school, I met a young lady. 
Since we were going to school together, she 
was a year ahead of me, we ran across each 
other every day. So it wasn’t long before we 
became what is called “an item.” That was 
something brand-new for me. I never was 
part of an “item.” 

It was then I began to understand that today’s 
“item” can take your focus off of yesterday. 
I never knew it quite like that before. 
To kiss yesterday goodbye is to welcome 
today into your life some-times you don’t 
know what’s associated with today. 

Letting yesterday go enables me to enjoy today 
and get ready for tomorrow. I need to 
remember; today is tomorrow’s yesterday. 

No matter how good yesterday was, today 
can be that much better. So when I let go 
of yesterday, I have an opportunity now to 
enjoy today in its fullness. 

Every once in a while, the Gracious Mistress 
of the Parsonage will say with a smile, 
“Remember when…?” then she goes into 
a long tirade of something that happened 
years ago. But, of course, I enjoy the reflection, 
and sometimes it encourages me for 
today. 

According to her, there’s nothing wrong 
with reflecting on past experiences as long 
as you’re not going back to that situation. So 
I’m still trying to learn that side of it. 

Usually, we reflect on past anniversaries on 
our wedding anniversary and enjoy that reflection. 
She remembers things yesterday 
that I don’t remember at all. 

The purpose of memories is to enhance today, 
make it better, and give me the energy 
to move for-ward. 

I have learned to turn my yesterday into a 
blessing that enables me to enjoy today and 
tomorrow at its best. 

One of my favorite Bible verses says, “This 
is the day which the LORD hath made; we 
will rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24). 

When I kiss yesterday goodbye I can focus 
on the day, today, that God has made to be a 
blessing in my life. 

Dr. James L. Snyder is pastor of the Family of 
God Fellowship, Ocala, FL 34483, where he 
lives with the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage. 
Telephone 1-352-216-3025, e-mail 
jamessnyder51@gmail.com. Website is 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