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Mountain View News Saturday, April 19, 2025

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SENIOR HAPPENINGS

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! …APRIL BIRTHDAYS*

Howard Rubin, Anita Hardy, Hattie Harris, Marilyn Diaz, Virginia Elliott, 
Elma Flores, Betty Jo Gregg, Barbara Lampman, Betty Mackie, Elizabeth 
Rassmusen, Maria Reyes, Marian DeMars, Anne Schryver, Chrisine 
Bachwansky, Colleen McKernan, Sandy Swanson, Hank Landsberg, Ken 
Anhalt, Shannon Vandevelde, Barbara Rounkle, Wendy Senour 

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


UNDERSTANDING WHAT MEDICARE COVERS FOR HOME CARE IN 
CALIFORNIA

For older adults and individuals with certain disabilities, staying at home while receiving health care is 
not only more comfortable—it’s often more cost-effective and dignified. Medicare, the federal health 
insurance program for people 65 and older and those with qualifying disabilities, provides coverage 
for specific types of home health care under strict conditions. But many people confuse “home care” 
with “home health,” and that misunderstanding can lead to unexpected out-of-pocket costs.

So what does Medicare actually cover on the home care side?

To start, Medicare does not cover long-term personal care—meaning services like cooking, cleaning, 
bathing, or help using the restroom—if those are the only services you need. These types of services 
fall under non-medical home care, which is not covered by traditional Medicare.

However, Medicare does cover home health care if it’s deemed medically necessary and you meet all 
of the following criteria:

You are homebound, meaning it’s a major effort to leave your home.

You are under the care of a doctor, and your treatment is part of a plan of care certified by that doctor.

You require intermittent skilled nursing care or therapy services (physical, occupational, or speech-
language pathology).

Covered services may include:

Skilled nursing care (e.g., wound care, IV therapy)

Home health aide support (only if you’re also receiving skilled care)

Physical and speech therapy

Medical social services

Durable medical equipment (like walkers or oxygen tanks)

The care must be provided through a Medicare-certified home health agency. While this is an incredible 
support for many, families looking for custodial or ongoing personal care should explore alternative 
funding options, such as Medi-Cal’s In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) or private-pay options.


OUT TO PASTOR 

A Weekly Religion Column by Rev. James Snyder

HOW MUCH SLEEP IS TOO MUCH?

HOW TO CHOOSE A VOLUNTEER VACATION

I have noticed recently that sleeping has become a very important 
part of my life. This just snuck up on me overnight.

When I was young and living at home, I tried to come up with excuses 
and reasons for not going to bed at night. My parents had an early bedtime 
schedule that they enforced rather strictly. Try as I might, I was never successful 
in beating that schedule.

Lately, I have noticed a completely different attitude about sleeping. I’m not sure 
where it came from, and I’ll have to ponder it for a while to find out.

It’s not just my problem but also the problem I share with The Gracious Mistress 
of the Parsonage. Maybe I got it from her, I just don’t know.

When the sun goes down, so does my interest in staying awake.

After we finish the day, we watch a little bit of television before we go to bed. If 
there’s anything more boring than television, I haven’t found it yet.

Usually around 9 o’clock, The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage will look at me 
and say, “Is it time to go to bed yet?”

I have been married long enough to realize that when your wife asks a question, 
she may not be asking the question she’s asking, but setting a trap for something 
else. I never know what else it might be.

When she asked that question, I looked at her seriously and asked, “Are you ready 
to go to bed yet?” Then, looking at my watch, I said, “It’s not quite 9 o’clock yet.”

She clears her throat and then says, “I was just wondering if you were ready to 
go to bed.”

I’m not going to fall into that trap because I know she’s trying to set it up, so I 
became the reason we went to bed this early. Every once in a while, I noticed that 
her eyes were shut and I asked her, “You’re not sleeping are you?” “Oh no,” she 
will say. Then it goes around the other way, and she sees my eyes are closed and 
asks me, “Are you sleeping?” “Oh no,” I will say, “I’ve just been praying for the 
day.” She will smile and say, “I thought so because I heard you snore.”

As we age, our time schedule begins to change a bit, and it seems healthier to go 
to bed earlier and get more sleep. I don’t want to be the first one to go to bed 
because I don’t want her to know that I am tired. I want to ensure she realizes I 
have my old energy, which is actually getting out of date.

Being retired has redefined our schedule. Our doctor's appointments are the only 
things on our schedule during the week. We have so many doctor appointments 
that we might have to hire a secretary to help us keep up with our schedule.

Lately, I’ve been trying to stay awake until 10 o’clock, and then go to bed. I’m not 
sure why I stay up until 10 o’clock, but I’m trying to convince myself that I’m not 
as old as I think I am.

The next thing about sleep is getting up in the morning. It is funny that I can be 
awake just about all night and then fall into a sleep that lasts several hours by 4 
o’clock in the morning. I know I should have an alarm clock to get me up, but 
what do I need to get up for?

The only reason to get up in the morning is for breakfast. I can’t think of anything 
else to schedule my early rising from La-la land.

The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage needs to get up when the great-grandchild 
comes for the day. She babysits for the granddaughter throughout the week, 
so she has a reason to get up at a certain time.

When I am on the other side of the bed, I do not have any reason to get up at a 
certain time in the morning. When I get out, I get up.

Sometimes, I wake up around 5 o’clock and enjoy the silence in our neighborhood. 
I think I should be getting up very soon, but then I fall back into such a 
sound sleep that I don’t get awake until 7:30. I wake up, look at my clock, and 
wonder where in the world the time went.

I stare at the clock and wonder how in the world I could have slept for 9 ½ hours. 
That doesn’t seem possible at all. And yet it happens more than I like to admit.

The question I have is, how much sleep is too much? What is the right amount of 
sleep for a person my age?

Another aspect of this sleep problem is that I usually nap in the afternoon. I think 
I sleep more than I’m awake, which may be suitable for the people around me.

In all of my considerations about this, I must confess that I really enjoy sleeping. 
I’m not sure of any activity I enjoy more than this.

Thinking about this, I was reminded of what David said. “It is vain for you to rise 
up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved 
sleep.” (Psalms 127:2). Sleeping is a blessing from God.

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


Dear Savvy Senior,

What can you tell me about volunteer vacation 
programs? I’m a healthy, 60-year-old, single woman, 
and am interested in doing some solo traveling, 
but would like to tie it with something meaningful.

Purposeful Traveler

Dear Traveler,

If you’re looking to do more on your next vacation 
than relax in the sun or go sightseeing, volunteer 
vacations – also known as voluntourism 
– which combine travel and volunteer work, are 
a great alternative for solo travelers and have become 
increasingly popular among older adults.

Volunteer Vacations

There are many organizations today that offer 
short-term volunteer vacation projects in the U.S. 
and abroad, lasting anywhere from a few days to 
a few months.

Common program themes include teaching English, 
working with children and teens, building 
and repairing homes and schools, and assisting 
with community or environmental projects.

In addition, volunteer vacations also give travelers 
the opportunity to experience the culture 
more fully and connect with the local people – 
much different than your run-of-the-mill sightseeing 
vacation. 

Most volunteer vacation groups accept singles, 
couples and families and you don’t need to speak 
a foreign language. Costs usually range from 
around $1,000 to $3,000 per week, not including 
transportation to the country your site is in. 
Fees typically cover pre-trip orientation information, 
room and board, on-site training, ground 
transportation once you get there, the services of 
a project leader, and a contribution to the local 
community that covers material and services related 
to the project. And, if the organization running 
your trip is a nonprofit, the cost of your trip, 
including airfare, is probably tax-deductible.

Where to Look

While there are many organizations that offer 
volunteer vacations, here are some good options 
to look into.

Global Volunteers (globalvolunteers.org): A pioneer 
in global travel, this group tackles hunger, 
poverty and educational needs. It offers a variety 
of one, two and three-week service programs in 
12 countries, including the U.S.

Earthwatch Institute (earthwatch.org): With an 
emphasis in environmental conservation and 
research, they offer dozens of one and two-week 
expeditions in countries all over the world. 

Conservation VIP (conservationvip.org): Provides 
environmental conservation volunteer 
projects to seven destinations abroad and three 
in the U.S.

Biosphere Expeditions (biosphere-expeditions.
org): Offers wildlife conservation expeditions in 
six countries.

Habitat for Humanity (habitat.org): Offers international 
house-building trips through its Global 
Village Program in 16 countries.

Natucate (natucate.com): With a focus on nature 
and species conservation, they offer one-to-12-
week trips in 32 different countries.

American Hiking Society (americanhiking.org): 
Targeting hikers and backpackers they offer 
weekend and week-long volunteer vacations in 
the U.S. that focus on building and maintaining 
trails.

International Volunteer HQ (volunteerhq.org): 
Offers a wide variety of one-to-24-week volunteer 
service projects in dozens of countries.

 

How to Choose

With so many different volunteer vacations to 
choose from, selecting one can be difficult. To 
help you decide, you need to think specifically 
about what you want. For example: Where you 
want to go and for how long? What types of work 
are you interested in doing? What kind of living 
situation and accommodations do you want? Do 
you want to volunteer alone or with a group? Do 
you want a rural or urban placement? Also consider 
your age and health. Are you up to the task, 
or do you have any special needs that will need 
to be met? 

Once you figure out what you want and spot a 
few volunteer vacations that interest you, ask the 
organization to send you information that describes 
the accommodations, the fees and what 
they cover including their refund policy, the work 
schedule and work details, and anything else you 
have questions about. Also, get a list of previous 
volunteers and call them.

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.

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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