Every year in October I have written about Gorge Happiness Month and with all that is happening it may be more important than ever. Because of the many challenges we face: unable to visit friends or participate in favorite activities; worried about leaving the house, you may find happiness elusive – spending too much time alone and silently suffering through your own personal battles and asking, “Why can’t we get back to the way it used to be!”

But even under this pandemic cloud, Gorge Happiness Month can show us how we can still find happiness by practicing the following “Daily 3”.

1.) Gratitudes: Find time each day to list three things for which you are thankful. It could be a good night’s sleep, an absorbing book you found to read, or a visit from one of your children.

2.) Acts of kindness: It may be more difficult to find ways to help one another, but how about calling someone you use to see every day, but haven’t talked to in a while. Or contact a non-profit to find a way you can volunteer safely.

3.) Moments of Silence: Sit silently for just five minutes evert day. Many of us use the TV or radio as our familiar companion. But for five minutes turn them off – and just sit still and observe your own thoughts and all that is around you.

By engaging in the Daily 3: saying thanks, expressing kindness and being silent, you can be happier while making your community a better place.    

Two weeks ago, when I wrote about how to start the conversation about completing an Advance Directive, I only mentioned Oregon Health Decisions. But I was asked, “What if I live in Washington? So, for all the Washingtonians, an excellent resource is “Honoring Choices Pacific Northwest” – an initiative of the Washington Hospital Association and the Washington State Medical Association. It can be found at https://www.honoringchoicespnw.org/.

You should have received a large blue postcard in the mail. At first glance you may think, “I already know how to protect myself and others from COVID-19”. But check out the back side. There you’ll find contact information for different resources you may find helpful for yourself or someone you know.

A shout out to The First Interstate Bank Foundation. Thanks to Shae Kassinger, The Dalles branch manager, the Center was awarded a $2500 grant. During these financially difficult times, the Center is grateful for being an example of First Interstate’s commitment to the health and strength of our communities.

And speaking of giving, during this holiday season please dig a little deeper when you consider your charitable giving. Every non-profit I know has suffered financially because of the pandemic.

I received an email from Donnamae Grannemann with wise advice for the season. “During a major political year, sometimes people become estranged from family and friends. Relationships are far more than political battles, so it’s a great reminder to be respectful of others and embrace what really counts.”

This week’s joke from Earline Wasser describing what NOT to do in a marriage.

“My wife asked me to take her to one of those restaurants where they make food right in front of you. I took her to Subway. That’s when the fight started.”

Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, who at that time was married to Eddie Fisher, had a scandalous affair during the filming of Cleopatra. I received answers from Dave Lutgens, Jerry Phillips, Lana Tepfer, Jim Tindall, Rhonda Spies, Karl Vercouteren, Jess Birge, Barbara Cadwell and Cheri Brent this week’s winner of a quilt raffle ticket. And last week I missed Cheri Brent and J Chantler,

Do you remember watching your first science fiction or horror movie; closing your eyes pretending you were watching the scary scenes? Maybe it was Godzilla demolishing cities, Frankenstein terrorizing villages or alien creatures devouring people. For this week’s “Remember When” Halloween question, what was the title of the 1958 science fiction/horror film about an alien amoeba devouring citizens in two small communities in Pennsylvania? Email your answer to mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, leave a message at 541-296-4788 or send it with a photo of Steve McQueen.

Well, it’s been another week, doing the best I can with what I’ve been given. Until we meet again, sometimes we must eat what is served – even if it is liver and onions!

“Getting old is like climbing a mountain; you get a little out of breath, but the view is much better!”  ~Ingrid Bergman

You may remember this Emo Philips quote that I’ve shared before. “I used to think that the brain was the most wonderful organ in my body. Then I realized who was telling me this.” 

The brain is an incredible organ controlling most of the activities of the body, processing, integrating, and coordinating the information it receives from the sense organs, and making decisions as to the instructions sent to the rest of the body.

But one of the non-essential but entertaining things it can do is to unscramble the scrambled words in a sentence. For example, see if you can read what appears to be a non-sensical passage that has circulated on social media since 2003.

Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. 

This ability to comprehend text despite spelling errors and misplaced letters in the words even has a name: Typoglycemia, (How they came up with a name that uses “typo” and the condition of having low blood sugar, beats me.)

But it is not true that only “the first and last letters need to be in the right place”. As in most everything, it’s more complicated than that. One of the factors explaining why we can ‘magically’ read the passage is because that organ between our ears reads words as whole units, not letter-by-letter. And more importantly, our brains are wired to find meaning by looking at contextual cues and using the predictability of the passage.

So as a little diversion, here is a test to see how well you can handle typoglycemia. And since context and predictability are so important, I’ll make this exercise easier by using the familiar five steps to protect yourself and others from COVID-19 found on the North Central Public Health District website (https://wascoshermangilliamcovid-19.com/)

1. Calen oyur hdnas otefn wiht ospa and hto wtaer or hdan sezniatir rttah cinoatns at least %60 loocahl

2. hWsa yruo surcfaes and pslecas of hghi trfiafc otefn uchs as oodr kosnb hitw osap and atewr

3. Advoi coesl ocnatct, stay hmoe as mchu as ssobpile and geiv sacpe to oehtrs wneh minvog aornud drungi eneassitl irtps

4. veCro oucsgh and nzeeses

5. Syta at home and aerw a aafksemc, and clla yruo mcdeial ovprdrei if yuo are sick

Another joke from Earline Wasser’s collection which some of you may be able to relate to.

My wife said that my granddaughter has me wrapped around her little finger. I said, “That’s not true. I said ‘no’ to her just yesterday.” “What did she ask you?” She asked me if there was anything I wouldn’t give her.” 

The game that is played on a felt mat with small plastic colored discs where you flipped discs into a pot is Tiddlywinks. I received correct answers from Jeanne Pesicka, Chuck
Rice, Lois Dunsmore, Jean Harmon, Dick Lafever, Pat Kelly, Jim Tindall, Kim Birge, Rhonda Spies, Lana Tepfer, Jerry Phillips, and Portia Masterson this week’s winner of a quilt raffle ticket. And last week I missed Jeanne Pesicka.

If you were living during the 60s, which I imagine most of you were, you will remember the scandalous affair between Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor who at that time was married to Eddie Fisher who had notoriously left Debbie Reynolds to marry Taylor. (It gets complicated!) For this week’s “Remember When” question, during the filming of what movie did the affair begin? Email your answer to mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, leave a message at 541-296-4788 or send it with a picture of the so-called Taylor-Burton diamond (or the actual diamond if you have it) that Richard Burton gave Taylor in 1969 and was valued at over a million dollars.

Well, it’s been another week, trying to keep the spring in my step. Until we meet again, as Carole King sang in 1971, “You’ve got to get up every morning with a smile on your face”.

“I have always felt that laughter in the face of reality is probably the finest sound there is and will last until the day when the game is called on account of darkness. In this world, a good time to laugh is any time you can.”  Linda Ellerbee

It has become an annual ritual: my Medicare Wellness Visit with my primary care provider. It gives us a chance to update my prevention plan by reviewing my health status and identifying any risk factors – and most importantly a chance for me to grumble about how my body isn’t behaving as it should!

During my last visit I was reminded to complete my Advance Directive which as with much good advice I haven’t followed – yet.

But what is an Advance Directive?

It is the legal document that allows you to express your wishes for medical care and life-sustaining treatments and designate a Health Care Representative to make sure your wishes are followed if you are unable to speak for yourself. It is voluntary and can be revoked at any time. But it is not a medical order. A medical order turns a person’s wishes into action. The Oregon Advance Directive is a form to express your wishes.

But more importantly why should I?

Imagine you have been admitted to the hospital with a life-threatening illness. You are unconscious – completely unaware of what is going on around you. Doctors say you may never regain consciousness, but you can be kept alive indefinitely by a breathing machine. Who would make this decision on your behalf? Would they know what you wanted? And imagine how your loved ones are feeling as they struggle to guess what you would want!

It may not feel comfortable thinking about these situations and hopefully they will never occur. But it is important to have conversations with your loved ones so you can let them know what you want in these difficult situations and eliminate the painful guessing. Your wishes can’t be followed if no one knows what they are.

But the key is to have the conversation.

You can find a copy of the Oregon Advance Directive online at Oregon.gov, but I would recommend ordering or downloading the Advance Directive Booklet from Oregon Health Decisions an independent, nonprofit 501(c)3 organization based in Tualatin, Oregon. You can find their booklet online at Oregon Health Decisions website www.oregonhealthdecisions.org or you can call 503-692-0894.

It does cost $6.00 but includes The Key Conversations Planning Guide which gives you the tools to start a conversation with your loved ones in three easy steps – Step 1: The Conversation Starter; Step 2: Individual Worksheet; and Step 3: Advance Directive – Oregon’s legal form.

Deciding what to do in situations when you can’t speak for yourself should not be taken lightly. And if you still feel uncomfortable having those conversations and completing an Advance Directive, consider it a gift to your loved ones so they won’t have the burden of making those difficult decisions.

Earline Wasser, a past resident of The Dalles, is enjoying her days in Bonaire with her daughter and son-in-law. Recently she sent me a collection of jokes. Here is one I thought was amusing. See if you agree.

“When I was a kid, my parents would always say, ‘Excuse my French’ just after a swear word…I’ll never forget my first day at school when my teacher asked if any of us knew any French.”

In the 1960s television commercial a six year old Maureen McCormick and “Poppin’ Fresh”, the Pillsbury Doughboy, sang “Nothin’ says lovin’ like something from the oven and PILLSBURY says it best”. I received correct answers from Cheri Brent, Lana Tepfer, Barbara Cadwell, Rhonda Spies, Tina Castanares, Rose Schulz and Donna Mollet, this week’s winner of a quilt raffle ticket. And last week I missed Patty Burnet.

Go to the Head of the Class, Uncle Wiggly, and Cootie were some of the popular games in the 50s and 60s. For this week’s “Remember When” question, what was the name of the game that began as an adult parlor game in Victorian England and is played on a felt mat with small plastic colored discs where you use a special disc to flip your discs into a pot. Email your answer to mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, leave a message at 541-296-4788 or send it with the December 14th,1962 issue of Life magazine that featured the Harvard team playing this game.

Well, it’s been another week, reminding myself it’s okay to ask for help. Until we meet again, my high school days were so exciting that an evening of fun was going to the airport and watching planes take off and land.

“We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.”  Thornton Wilder

Understanding Medicare is not a walk in the park. It’s more like crawling through a dark cave: disorienting and challenging. And every year during Medicare Open Enrollment from October 15^ththrough December 7^th you get to explore that cave again. 

Why? Medicare health and drug plans make changes each year – such as cost, coverage, and what providers and pharmacies are in their networks. They can also make changes to the plan’s “formulary” (list of covered drugs). You will receive information from your current Medicare plans such as the “Evidence of Coverage” (EOC) and “Annual Notice of Change” (ANOC) describing those changes.

Review these statements carefully. Particularly look at the plan’s “formulary” to make sure your prescriptions are still covered. If you’re satisfied, you don’t need to do anything. But if you aren’t happy with the changes to your current plan and would like to know what other options are available, there are several trusted resources to help you. 

Online you can visit Medicare.gov/plan-compareto compare and shop for health and drug plans and the Oregon’s Senior Health Insurance Benefits Assistance (SHIBA) website https://healthcare.oregon.gov/shiba/ that includes Oregon’s Medicare 2020 Guide and a list of available plans in your county.  

But if you are like me, you may want to talk to someone who can help you navigate through all the choices and answer your questions. For Gilliam, Sherman, Wasco and Hood River counties you can call the local SHIBA program at 541-288-8341 to make an appointment with a trained unbiased SHIBA volunteer.

While the SHIBA program offers Medicare counseling services, help is also available through licensed health insurance agents. If you want to work with a local agent who has gone through a state certification process, the Oregon Health Insurance Marketplace has a Medicare agent locator tool available on its website, healthcare.oregon.gov/Pages/find-help.aspx. Be sure to select “Medicare Agent” when you search.

This is also the week for “Through the Eyes of an Elder” where you can read about the dedicated volunteers who make the SHIBA program possible.

“The Election is coming! The Election is coming! But you already know that and are probably looking forward to shouting “The Election is over! The election is over!” But it is our responsibility to take elections seriously because our future, in ways large and small, will be affected by the decisions we make at the ballot box.

This year you have until Tuesday, October 13^th to register to vote with the ballots going out on the 14^th. You can update or change your registration online at OregonVotes.gov using the MyVote button or visit your county’s website where you can download a paper registration form. And you can always call your county’s election department and they will mail a registration form to you. Regardless, the registration must be received in the election’s office by October 13th if it’s a NEW registration.

Lisa Gambee, Wasco County Clerk, told me there is plenty of “noise” at the national level that doesn’t apply to Oregon. Oregon’s Vote By Mail will work the same as it has for over twenty years! In Wasco County if you have any concerns or just want to confirm your registration, you can call the Wasco County Clerk’s office at 541-506-2530 and they can check it on the spot.

The singer dubbed the “King of Calypso” and known for his recording of “The Banana Boat Song” with its signature lyric “Day-O” was Harry Belafonte. I received correct answers from Cheri Brent, Gwen Yanda, John McEueun, Lana Tepfer, Cathy Orfall, Sandra Fritz, Dave Lutgens, Barbara Cadwell, Steven Woolpert, Kim Birge, Joan Silver, Rhonda Spies and this week’s winners of a quilt raffle ticket each are Betsy Ayers and Deloris Schrader who both saw Harry Belafonte in concert. And last week I missed Nicole Hughes.

Maureen McCormick, who played the oldest Brady daughter Marcia Brady, appeared in a TV commercial with “Poppin’ Fresh” when she was six years old where they sang, “Nothin’ says lovin’ like something from the oven”. For this week’s “Remember When” question, what company, acquired by General Mills in 2001, “says it best”? Email your answer to mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, leave a message at 541-296-4788 or send it with a recording of one of the company’s televised baking contests from the 1950s.

Well, it’s been another week, wondering what this new ache means? Until we meet again, always take the high road. It has a better view.

“In times like these, it’s helpful to remember that there have always been times like these.” Paul Harvey

Have you ever fallen or known someone who has fallen? According to the National Council on Aging, every 11 seconds an older adult is seen in an emergency department for a fall-related injury. I was one of those statistics when I missed the bottom step while taking out the recycling and broke my hip. I didn’t want to admit it because broken hips only happen to “old people” and at that time I was only 64. (And without Medicare, it wasn’t cheap!)

Since 1 in 4 older adults fall every year in the U.S., you may feel falling is just a normal part of aging. But it isn’t. Think about when you or someone you knew fell. There probably was a way the fall could have been prevented: I should have understood the side effects of my new medication, I should have had a grab bar in the shower – or I should have had my wife take out the recycling!

Since most falls are preventable, here are a few tips to reduce your risk of falling.

1.) Find a good exercise program that builds balance, strength, and flexibility. While we do lose muscle as we age, exercise can partially restore strength and flexibility. During the pandemic when most group activities have been cancelled, you can find exercise programs on YouTube that you can do at home and you can still go walking. But start slowly and gradually build up. It is often asked what is the best exercise? The one you enjoy doing!

2.) Talk to your health care provider. Your annual hour-long free Medicare “Wellness” visit is the perfect time to share your history of recent falls.

3.) Your “Wellness” visit is also a good time to review your medications with your health care provider to make sure any side effects aren’t increasing your risk of falling. And it goes without saying, take your medications only as prescribed.

4.) Get your vision and hearing checked annually and update your eyeglasses. Your eyes and ears are key to keeping you on your feet.

5.) Keep your home safe. Over half of all falls take place at home. Fix simple but serious hazards such as clutter, throw rugs, and poor lighting. Make simple home modifications such as adding grab bars in the bathroom, a second handrail on stairs, and non-slip paint on outdoor steps.

And I would pay attention to how you get to the bathroom particularly during the night – which many of us do at least once every night. Rushing to the bathroom increases your chance of falling.

6.) Talk to your family members. They want to help you maintain your mobility and reduce your risk of falling. If you can’t yourself, they can install the grab bars or railings to make your home safe.

By remembering to take your time, pick-up your feet and to follow these six tips, you can prevent unnecessary falls that could change your life forever.

Two weeks ago I wrote that if you feel sick to call your medical provider before going to the hospital – or simply “Call, Don’t Go”, But I was reminded by Stephanie Bowen, MCMC’s Public Information Officer and Community Outreach Coordinator, that “Call, Don’t Go” is correct UNLESS you are experiencing life-threatening symptoms. Then you should go directly to the Emergency Room.

The television show that revolved around a large, blended family with six children and considered one of the last of the old-style family sitcoms was the Brady Bunch. I received correct answers from Rhonda Spies, Barbara Cadwell, Lana Tepfer, Sandy Haechrel, Dave Lutgens, Rose Schulz, Rhonda Spies, Jess Birge, Cheri Brent, Betsy Ayers, Alan Winans and Elaine Lee this week’s winner of a quilt raffle ticket.

This songwriter, activist, actor and singer was dubbed the “King of Calypso” for popularizing the Trinidadian Caribbean musical style including his breakthrough album Calypso (1956) – the first million-selling LP by a single artist. For this week’s “Remember When” question, who is the Jamaican-American known for his recording of “The Banana Boat Song” with its signature lyric “Day-O”? Email your answer to mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, leave a message at 541-296-4788 or send it with the 1965 Grammy Award-winning album he recorded with Miriam Makeba.

Well, it’s been another week, when every night I think it’s later than it really is.

Until we meet again, the question is always easy once you know the answer.

“I don’t exercise. If God had wanted me to bend over, he would have put diamonds on the floor.” Joan Rivers