Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, June 4, 2022

ADAPTIVE CLOTHING TAKES THE STRESS OUT OF DRESSING 

Dear Savvy Senior:
What kinds of clothing options are available to mobility challenged seniors who have a difficult time dressing? 
Looking for Mom 

Dear Looking:
The chore of dressing and undressing in traditional 
clothing can be difficult, time-consuming and even 
painful for millions of people with certain health and 
mobility problems. Fortunately, there’s a wide variety 
special clothing, known as “adaptive clothing,” that 
can help with most dressing challenges. Here’s what 
you should know. 

What is Adaptive Clothing?


Adaptive clothing is specially designed garments for people with mobility issues, disabilities and cognitive 
challenges who have a difficult time getting dressed. This type of clothing incorporates discreet design features 
to make dressing and undressing easier, while still having the outward appearance of typical clothing. 

Depending on your mom’s needs, here are some of the many different types of adaptive clothing options 
that could help. 

For self-dressing seniors who suffer from Parkinson’s or other disabilities that affect dexterity, there are 
pants, shirts, dresses and outerwear made with Velcro or magnetic closures instead of buttons and zippers, 
which are much easier to fasten and unfasten. But be aware that magnetic closures are not suitable for those 
who have pacemakers. 

For those who are disabled or who have limited range of motion and need assistance dressing, there are 
adaptive pants with zippers or snaps on both sides of the pants that are easier to pull on. And a wide range 
of rear closure shirts, tops and dresses with Velcro or snap fasteners in the back for those who can’t raise 
their arms over their head. 

For wheelchair users there are higher back and elastic waistband pants that don’t slip down, as well as pants 
with fabric overlaps at the seat to allow for easier toileting access. 

For people with tactile sensitivity, there are garments you can purchase that have soft and stretchy fabrics 
without tags and are sewn with flat seams to help preventing chafing. 

And for seniors with Alzheimer’s disease there are one-piece jumpsuits that have a back-zipper access to 
prevent the wearer from disrobing inappropriately. 

Where to Shop?

Because each person’s dressing needs and style is so specific, finding appropriate adaptive clothing can be 
difficult. 

Recently, mainstream clothing stores like JCPenney (jcpenney.com), Target (target.com) and Tommy Hilfiger 
(usa.tommy.com) have started offering a line of adaptive clothing for adults that combines fashion and 
functionality, but their instore options are limited. To get a bigger selection, visit the store’s website and type 
in “adaptive clothing” in their search engine. 

You can also find a large selection at online stores that specialize in adaptive clothing like Buck & Buck 
(buckandbuck.com) and Silverts (silverts.com). Both of these companies have been selling adaptive clothing 
for decades and offer a wide variety of garments to accommodate almost any need, condition or style, 
for independent self-dressers and for those who need help. 

Some other adaptive clothing sites you should visit include Joe & Bella (joeandbella.com), Ovidis (ovidis.
com), and IZ Adaptive (izadaptive.com), which sells clothing primarily designed for wheelchair users.

 And, if your mom is in need of adaptive footwear, Velcro fastening shoes (instead of shoelaces) have long 
been a popular option and can be found in most local shoe stores. 

Some other new lines of adaptive shoes that may interest her include Kiziks (kizik.com) and Zeba (zebashoes.
com), which make fashionable sneakers and comfortable walking shoes that just slip on, hands-
free, along with Billy Footwear (billyfootwear.com) and Friendly Shoes (friendlyshoes.com), which makes 
uniquely designed zip-on shoes. 

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 

DON'T LET YOUR KIDS LEAVE THE NEST WITHOUT 
SIGNING THESE 3 DOCUMENTS 

As we head into sum


mer, many parents will 
see their children graduate high school and prepare 
to leave home to attend college or pursue other life 
goals. This can be an exciting and emotional time, 
and with so much going on, estate planning probably 
isn’t at the front of your (or their) mind right 
now. 

However, estate planning should actually be a top 
priority for both you and your kids. 

Here’s why: Once your kids turn 18, they become 
legal adults, and many areas of their life that were 
once under your control will become entirely their 
responsibility, whether you take action or not. To 
this end, if your kids don’t have the proper legal 
documents in place, you could face a costly and 
traumatic ordeal should something happen to 
them. 

If your child were to get into a serious car accident 
and require hospitalization, for example, you would 
no longer have the automatic authority to make decisions 
about his or her medical treatment or the 
ability to manage his or her financial affairs. Without 
legal documentation, you wouldn’t even be able 
to access your child’s medical records or bank accounts 
without a court order. 

To deal with this vulnerability and ensure your 
family never gets stuck in an expensive and unnecessary 
court process, before your kids leave home, 
have a conversation about estate planning and 
make sure they sign the following three documents. 

1. Medical Power of AttorneyThe first document your child needs is a medical 
power of attorney. A medical power of attorney is 
an advance healthcare directive that allows yourchild to grant you (or someone else) the immediatelegal authority to make healthcare decisions on hisor her behalf if they become incapacitated and areunable to make these decisions for themselves. 
For example, a medical power of attorney would allow 
you to make decisions about your child’s medical 
treatment if he or she is incapacitated in a car 
accident or falls into a coma due to a debilitating 
illness like COVID-19. 

Without a medical power of attorney in place, if 
your child suffers a severe accident or illness that 
requires hospitalization and you need to access 
their medical records to make decisions about 
their treatment, you’d have to petition the court 
to become their legal guardian. While a parent is 
typically the court’s first choice for a guardian, the 
guardianship process can be slow and expensive—
and in medical emergencies, time is of the essence. 

Not to mention, due to HIPAA laws, once your child 
becomes 18, no one—not even a parent—can legally 
access his or her medical records without prior 
written permission. However, a properly drafted 
medical power of attorney should include a standalone 
HIPAA authorization, so you can immediately 
access your child’s medical records to make 

informed decisions about his or her treatment. 

2. Living WillWhile a medical power of attorney allows you tomake healthcare decisions on your child’s behalfduring their incapacity, a living will is an advancedirective that provides specific guidance aboutthese decisions, particularly at the end of life. 
For example, a living will allows your child to advise 
if and when he or she would want life support 
removed should it ever be required. In addition 
to documenting how your child wants his or her 
medical care managed, a living will can also include 
instructions about nourishment and hydration. For 
example, if your child is a vegan, vegetarian, or 
takes specific supplements, these things should be 
considered and documented in their living will. 

Additionally, given the pandemic, speak with your 
child about the unique medical decisions, particularly 
intubation, ventilators, and experimental 
medications. At the same time, your child’s living 
will should also outline their quality-of-life decisions 
to ensure their emergency medical treatment 
doesn’t end up doing more harm than good. 

Although you’ll find a variety of medical power of 
attorney, living will, and other advance directive 
documents online, your child has unique needs and 
wishes that can’t be anticipated by these fill-in-theblank 
documents. Given this, we recommend you 
and your child work with a trusted estate planning 
attorney to create—or at the very least, review—
their advance directives. 

3. Durable Power of AttorneyShould your child become incapacitated, you mayalso need the ability to access and manage theirfinances and legal affairs, and this requires yourchild to grant you durable power of attorney. 
Durable power of attorney gives you the authority 
to manage your child’s financial and legal matters, 
such as paying tuition, applying for student loans, 
paying rent, negotiating (or re-negotiating) a lease, 
managing bank accounts, and collecting government 
benefits if necessary. Without this document, 
you’d have to petition the court for this authority. 

Start Adulthood on The Right TrackBefore your kids leave the nest, discuss the value of 
estate planning and make sure they have the proper 
legal documents in place. By doing so, you are helping 
your family avoid a costly and emotional court 
process, while also demonstrating the importance 
of good financial and legal stewardship, which sets 
your kids on the right track from the very start of 
their journey into adulthood and beyond. 


Marc Garlett, Esq.
Cali Law Family 
Legacy Matterswww.caliLaw.com 
626.355.4000 

Mountain View News Saturday, June 4, 2022 

SENIOR HAPPENINGS 


HAPPY BIRTHDAY! …June Birthdays* 

Joanne Thrane, Nellie Haynes, Dorothy McKay, Diane Hatfield, Georgette 

Dunlay, Elizabeth Shul, Donna Doss, Mary Carney, Carol Handley, Marilyn 

McKernan, Pat Fujiwara, John Shier, Beth Smith-Kellock, Ann Disbrow, 

Joan Ellison, Anne Montgomery, Trini Ornelas, Martha Spriggs, Pat Starkey, 

Kathleen Coyne, Suzanne Decker, Jacque Persing, Jeanne Peterson and Grace Sanders 

To add your name to this distinguished list, please call the paper at 626.355.2737. 

YEAR of birth not required 

THE HART PARK HOUSE SENIOR CENTER IS OPEN!!!! 
SIERRA MADRE SENIOR CLUB Every Saturday from 11:30am-3:30 pm in the 
Hart Park House Senior Center. Join us as we celebrate birthdays, holidays and pay 
BINGO. Must be 50+ to join. For more information call Mark at 626-355-3951. 

DOMINOES TRAIN GAME Wednesday, 5/18 11:00 am— 12:30 pm Hart Park 
House The 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. 

PAINT PALS 

Tuesday, 5/10 & 5/24, 10:30 am—Hart Park House If 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. 

TEA AND TALK SENIOR BOOK CLUB Tuesday, 5/25— 9:00 am Staff 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, 5/17 —10:00 am 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 
likeminded fiber friends. We meet in the Hart Park House 

BINGO Monday 5/16 1:00 pm- 2:00 pm Come on down to enjoy this time with 
friends. We are trying a new spin on BINGO fun so please bring your good luck 
charms and BINGO markers! 

CHAIR YOGA Every Monday and Wednesday, 10-10:45 am Please join us for some 
gentle stretching, yoga, balance exercise and overall relaxation with Paul. Classes are 
ongoing and held in the Memorial Park Covered Pavilion or the Hart Park House.. 

HULA AND POLYNESIAN DANCE Every Friday, 10-10:45 am Bring a lei, your 
flower skirt or just your desire to dance! Hula in the Park is back and waiting for you 
to join in on all the fun! Memorial Park Pavilion. 

SENIOR CINEMA WEDNESDAY, 5/25 1:00 PM 
MERMAIDS 1hr 50min An unconventional single mother relocates with her two 
daughters to a small Massachusetts town in 1963, where a number of events and relationships 
both challenge and strengthen their familial bonds. 

SIERRA MADRE SENIOR CLUB 

Every Saturday from 11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. in the Hart Park House Senior Center. Join us 
as we celebrate birthdays, holidays and play BINGO. 

Must be 50+ to join. For more information call Mark at 626-355-3951 

OUT TO PASTOR 

A Weekly Religion Column by Rev. James Snyder 

ANGELS DO PLAY HARPS AND I HAVE PROOF 


A few weeks ago, The Gra


cious Mistress of the Par


sonage came to me with 
a question. I'm always very cautious whenever 
that happens because it could be a trap. 

"Next Saturday I have to go and pick up 
something. It's about an hour away, and I 
wonder if you could come with me?" 

This is a new one. So I asked her, "What are 
you going to be picking up?" 

That's a straightforward question with no 
strings attached. 

She looked at me for a few moments and finally 
said, "It's a secret, and I don't want to 
tell you yet." 

That was enough to put me on my guard. A 
secret? What kind of a secret could this be? 

So I ask her, "What is the secret?" 

She didn't respond right away, but finally, 
she said very soberly, "I don't want to tell 
you right now. It's a secret, and you'll understand 
when we get there." 

I don't mind secrets as long as they are my 
secrets. But when The Gracious Mistress of 
the Parsonage has a secret, the red flags begin 
waving. 

Thinking about it for a few moments, I 
thought I should go along with her, so I said, 
"If you need me to go with you, I'll be glad 
to go." 

Hoping to trip her up, I said, "And what is 
the secret?" 

She looked at me, smiled, and walked away. 

For her to have a secret and then want me 
to help her facilitate that secret without telling 
me what it is, is beyond my pay scale. As 
long as we've been married, I've never heard 
her ask for this kind of favor. 

Of course, this kind of favor could work in 
my favor down the line. Whenever I want 
something, I could always say, "Do you remember 
that secret I helped you with a few 
years ago?" I'm sure I could use it for some 
value at the proper time. 

For the last few weeks, I noticed she's been 
searching for things on her computer, but 
there's no way in the world I'm going to get 
on her computer and try to figure out what 
she was searching for. 

Finally, the Saturday came, and she said, 
"Are you ready to go?" 

"And," I said staggeringly, "what are we going 
for?" 

"You'll find out in due time." 

I didn't know what I was in for, and I did 
not know how to prepare for it. I'm not very 
good at handling secrets, especially if they're 
not my secrets. 

We finally arrived at our destination, and 
my wife parked her van there was a lady on 
the sidewalk waiting for us. 

My wife looked at me and said, "That's the 

lady who has my secret." 

We got out of the van and I walked rather 
slowly towards the lady, not knowing if I 
should shout or run. She did not look like a 
dangerous lady with a dangerous secret, but 
I was going to be cautious nevertheless. 

We greeted her, and my wife introduced me 
to her; then we walked to the back of her 
van, and I found out what that secret was. 

I didn't quite know how to handle the secret 
or what to make of it, but I just smiled and 
helped transfer this "secret" from the lady's 
van to my wife's van. 

As the transfer took place, my jaw dropped. 
I really could not believe what I was seeing. 
There was a harp and all the things that 
went with it. The secret was my wife had 
just purchased a professional harp. I did not 
know what she was going to make of it, but 
our travel home was very interesting as she 
described this new interest to me in detail. 

In the next several weeks, The Gracious 
Mistress of the Parsonage learned how to 
play the harp. She watched a bunch of videos 
and was quite a fast learner. 

She played the piano for years and did it for 
all our church services as long as I knew her. 
From what she told me, playing the piano 
helped her learn how to play the harp. 

Every time I came home, I walked into the 
house and she was sitting there with her 
harp playing it. I discovered she was quite 
good with this harp as I listened to it. 

I did not know very much about this kind 
of an instrument; as far as I was concerned, 
only angels played harps in heaven, which 
got me wondering. 

Is there another secret that I don't know 
about? 

Could she be playing this harp, preparing 
me for heaven? 

I know my wife knows everything, and maybe 
there is this other secret she's not telling 
me for a reason. 

One consolation is she's not playing fireballs. 
I can handle the harp preparing me 
for heaven, so I just sit back every time she 
played and enjoyed it. 

After all, angels do play harps, and my wife 
is getting better at it every day. 

As she was playing her harp I thought of a 
verse of Scripture. “I will also praise thee 
with the psaltery, even thy truth, O my God: 
unto thee will I sing with the harp, O thou 
Holy One of Israel” (Psalms 71:22). 

Is going to be a wonderful time in heaven 
as we gather together listening to the Angels 
play their hearts as we worship the Lord 
together. 

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. 

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