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Mountain Views News Saturday, June 14, 2025

FREE ASSISTED LIVING PLACEMENT SERVICE

 

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Plus, we offer personalized tours to help you explore 
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SENIOR HAPPENINGS


HAPPY BIRTHDAY! …JUNE BIRTHDAYS*

Joanne Thrane, Nellie Haynes, Dorothy McKay, Diane Hatfield, Georgette 
Dunlay, Elizabeth Shula, Donna Doss, Mary Carney, Carol Handley, 
Marilyn McKernan, Pat Fujiwara, Beth Smith-Kellock, Ann Disbrow, Joan 
Ellison, Anne Montgomery, Trini Ornelas,, Pat Starkey, Kathleen Coyne, 
Jacque Persing, Jeanne Peterson, Roxana Dominguez, Carolyn Lanyi, Claire 
McLean, Suzanne Decker and Grace Sanders.


JUNE IS ALZHEIMER AND BRAIN AWARENESS MONTH:


Experience Empathy Through the 

Virtual Dementia Tour

June is Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month — a 
time to honor, support, and raise awareness for those 
affect-ed by neurological conditions like Alzheimer’s 
and other forms of dementia. As someone who works 
closely with seniors and their families, I see firsthand 
the challenges that come with these diagnoses. This 
month, I’d like to shine a spotlight on a remarkable 
nonprofit doing powerful work in this space.

Meet Second Wind Dreams®, the organization behind 
the groundbreaking Virtual Dementia Tour® (VDT) 
— a science-based training experience that is truly 
transforming how we care for and connect with those 
living with dementia.

The Virtual Dementia Tour is an eight-minute simulation 
designed specifically for caregivers, health care 
work-ers, and family members. Participants are outfitted 
with specially developed gear that temporarily 
alters their senses — mimicking the confusion, frustration, 
and sensory changes commonly experienced by 
people with de-mentia. The result? An unforgettable, 
eye-opening encounter that increases empathy and 
understanding on a deep, emotional level.

As an SRES® and someone who works with families 
navigating aging and memory loss, I can tell you this 
type of immersive education is invaluable. When we 
feel what our loved ones might be experiencing, our 
approach shifts — we become more patient, more 
thoughtful, and more compassionate.

What makes the Virtual Dementia Tour so effective is 
its scientific backing. Developed by geriatric specialist 
P.K. Beville, M.S., the program is rooted in research 
and has been delivered to millions worldwide. Many 
facilities, from senior living communities to hospitals, 
are now incorporating it into staff training.

The best part? You don’t have to be a professional to 
participate. Family caregivers, friends, and even neighbors 
can take the tour — and walk away with a deeper 
appreciation for the daily struggles of those living with 
demen-tia.

So, as we honor Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness 
Month, I encourage everyone — whether you’re a caregiver, 
a loved one, or a professional — to explore this 
powerful experience. Increasing empathy is one of the 
most mean-ingful steps we can take toward improving 
quality of life for those affected.

For more information on how to participate in the 
Virtual Dementia Tour, visit www.secondwind.org.

Let’s walk in their shoes — and take steps toward a 
more compassionate, dementia-friendly world.

--

THEAGENCY

Redefining real estate

 

STEVEN GALINDO

Estates Agent | Senior Real Estate Specialist

626-639-8548

TheAgencyRE.com

StevenGalindo.com

Lic# 01002784


OUT TO PASTOR 

A Weekly Religion Column by Rev. James Snyder

TO BE OR NOT TO BE - THAT'S MY CONFUSION

WHAT IS A SPOUSAL IRA?

After many years of denial, I finally realized how easily I am confused. 
Why it took me so long to realize this, I will never know.

If only I could go back to my wonderful teenage years when I knew 
everything and nobody could tell me what to do. Why do those 
days go by so quickly?

Now, I'm at the stage where I'm looking at life a little more realistically than I did 
back in my teen-age years.

The main problem with this is not only can I get confused, but I rarely know 
when I'm confused. That in itself is confusing to me.

I am not blaming old age because, as I look at my life, I've been confused 
throughout although I didn't know it at the time. I have no idea what old age 
contributes to my state of confusion each day.

The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage is the one person in our home who is 
never confused. I'm not sure how she has done this all these years. It can't be 
easy living with someone like me, who's always confused.

I'll be working in my office, she'll step in and say, "Are you ready to go?"

A little surprised, I look up from my desk and say, "Go where?"

She looks at me for a moment and says, "Don't you remember you have a doctor's 
appointment today?" What," I will say, "do I have a doctor's appointment 
for?" At that point, I am in a real state of confusion. But I had to ask, "It's not a 
psychiatrist, is it?" "Oh, I wish," she says and walks away.

I could not remember my doctor's appointment for today. Do I really have a 
doctor's appointment? Or is she taking me to see her doctor?

Surely, there must be some advantage to being confused. I'm going to search for 
it until I find it, and until then, I will operate in my confused mode.

When I grab my truck keys and head for the door, The Gracious Mistress of the 
Parsonage often asks, "Do you know where you're going?"

I don't think I would've been confused if she hadn't asked that question. Obviously 
she knows something I didn’t know. I look back at her, smile, and ask, "No, 
where am I going?"

On my way to the door, I thought I knew where I was going. I carefully planned 
everything out: where I was going and what I would do and when I would return 
home. But when she questioned me, all that came up in my fuzzy mind was 
confusion. Do I really know where I'm going?

I wouldn't say this out loud, but I sometimes think she does that intentionally 
to confuse me. And boy, is she an expert at that. When I’m confused I’m easy to 
manipulate. When working on a writing project I am never confused. I know 
exactly what I'm doing and quite content and what I’m doing.

My biggest problem is knowing if I should do something or not. I can never 
figure that out. "To do, or not to do?" That seems to be my confusion.

I get up early in the morning, take my coffee to my easy chair, and enjoy those 
few moments of quietness. During that time, I think of my schedule for the day.

It's easy to think of what I could do, but my most demanding job is figuring out 
what I should not do. If I do everything I want to do, I'm never going to finish 
anything. I need to learn to manage my time so I don't sink into the swamp of 
confusion.

Thinking along this line, it occurred to me that if I could figure out what not to 
do I believe I could get much more done. Differentiating between “do and don't” 
is very hard for me. If I do what I don't have to do, it takes away time to do what 
I should do. Oh boy, this is very confusing.

I recently spent a week observing The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage, 
watching her every step. I wanted to see her aspect of “do and don't”. The end result 
of that week was I couldn't find any-thing she didn't do. She is the Do Queen 
of the Parsonage. I could not find one thing she didn't do.

I wish I could understand how that happens and differentiate between “do and 
don't”. That would eliminate some of my confusion, I think.

Perhaps that is why people get old and forget things. Maybe it's a good thing to 
forget some things. If only I could select the things to forget, my life would be a 
lot better and less confusing. Until then, I will wallow in my confusion.

While pondering this I was reminded of a verse of Scripture in Philippians 3:13-
14. “ Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, 
forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things 
which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God 
in Christ Jesus.”

With all of the things in front of the apostle Paul, he boiled his life down to 
just one thing, “forgetting,” and then “reaching forth.” To know what to forget 
enables me to understand what to reach forward to. That certainly will simplify 
my 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


Dear Savvy Senior,

What can you tell me about spousal IRAs? 
My spouse and I are in our 50s and are looking 
for ways to boost our retirement savings. 
My wife is a homemaker and caregiver, and 
works parttime too, but her income is very 
small. Need a Boost

Dear Need,

Saving for retirement can be very difficult for married spouses who stay home to care for family or otherwise 
have scant income. But there is a little-known tax break offered by the Internal Revenue Service 
– known as a spousal IRA – that can help them, and their partner save for retirement. 

Spousal individual retirement accounts allow a working spouse to contribute to a nonworking or low-
earning spouse’s retirement savings. They can be set up as a traditional IRA or Roth IRA, which allow 
couples to save for retirement on a tax-deferred or tax-free basis. 

How They Work

A spousal IRA isn’t a unique type of IRA or a joint account, but instead it is a separate IRA opened and 
owned in the name of the nonworking or low-income earning spouse. This will not only help boost your 
family’s overall retirement savings, but it provides non-working/low-earning spouses access to their 
own funds in an unforeseen event like the death of their spouse, divorce, or illness. 

To qualify for a spousal IRA, spouses must file taxes jointly as a married couple, and the working spouse 
must have enough earned income (taxable income such as wages, salary, bonuses, commissions, and 
self-employment income) to cover contributions for both parties. 

The process of opening a spousal IRA is also no different from opening a regular IRA. Brokerage firms 
and many banks and other financial institutions offer IRAs. 

In 2025, each spouse under age 50 can contribute up to $7,000 annually to an IRA, or $8,000 annually 
for those over age 50, but the total contribution can’t exceed the taxable earned income reported on the 
couple’s tax return. Otherwise, the IRS limits contributions based on their earned income.

Roth or Traditional?

Deciding whether to open a Roth or traditional IRA depends on your tax situation and financial goals. 

Traditional IRA contributions typically are tax deductible the year in which they are made and are beneficial 
during high-income earning years. Contributions grow tax-free until they are withdrawn during 
retirement.

Roth IRA contributions aren’t tax deductible the year in which they are made, but qualified contributions 
plus any earnings grow tax-free and are withdrawn tax-free in retirement as long as the couple follows 
IRS rules. Among them: you must be 59½ and have held your Roth IRA for at least five years before 
you withdraw investment earnings tax-free and penalty-free.

There are also penalties for withdrawals on traditional IRAs before age 59½ unless the owner qualifies 
for an exception, and he or she must begin taking the annual withdrawals known as required minimum 
distributions (RMDs) from these plans the year he or she turns 73 (or 75 beginning in 2033). Roth IRAs 
don’t require RMDs until after the death of the owner. However, beneficiaries of a Roth IRA generally 
will need to take RMDs to avoid penalties, although there is an exception for spouses. 

For more information on the IRS rules of both traditional and Roth IRAs see IRS.gov/retirement-plans/
traditional-and-roth-iras.

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


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