An end to this nightmare is in sight, but it will just be a mirage unless enough of the population is immune to the virus to make the spread from person to person unlikely. This is called community immunity or herd immunity and can be accomplished by people either being exposed to the virus or protected from the virus. Now which one would you choose?  

 Today we are inundated with information especially with the advent of social media – where any one can share their cat pictures, thoughts, and suspicions. With all this noise it is our responsibility to know what is accurate and what isn’t. 

It seems as if once or twice a year I feel I need to write about the latest scams from Medicare scams to sweepstakes and lottery scams. So, just as sugar ants return in the spring (well at least in my kitchen!), vaccine scams are beginning to circulate. So here are just a few reminders.

There is no cost for the COVID-19 vaccine. Medicare covers it.

You can’t pay to put your name on a list to get the vaccine.

You can’t pay to get early access to a vaccine.

If someone calls, texts, or emails you promising access to the vaccine for a fee, as with all scams, don’t share your personal or financial information. Medicare will never contact you for your Medicare number or other personal information unless you’ve given them permission in advance; will never call to sell you anything or enroll you over the phone unless you called first, and will never visit you at your home. And remember, guard your Medicare card as if it was a credit card.

If the scammers get your Medicare number or personal information, they can commit Medicare fraud which results in higher health care costs and taxes for everyone. If you encounter anything suspicious, call the Medicare Fraud line at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).

Volunteers in Action is pursuing a pilot program in partnership with Senior Planet to offer Technology classes locally to help older adults access technology to enhance their lives. Because of COVID-19 the classes will start out with online-only classes converted from the Senior Planet in-person curriculum and will move to in-person classes when it’s safe to do so. The Technology classes are available to residents of Hood River, Klickitat and Wasco Counties and will be held twice a week from 2/22/21 – 3/26/21 but the days of the week and times have not yet been determined.

But first they need to find and train the volunteer Technology Trainers. If you feel you have a proficiency in common software applications and devices, the ability to effectively communicate the relevancy of technology to seniors’ lives, and reliable internet connectivity, this may be the exciting volunteer opportunity for you. But don’t dillydally. (Do people still say dillydally or am I showing my age once again?). The Train the Trainer classes are from 1/19/21 to 2/18/21 on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11:00am – 12:15pm.

If you are interested in being a trainer or want to learn how to access technology in a supportive environment, call Britta Willson, Program Coordinator, Volunteers in Action Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital at 541-387-6404

 Now a little humor. “Strange new trend at the office. People are putting names on food in the company fridge. Today I had a tuna sandwich named ‘Linda’.”

The saying children used to convince someone they were telling the absolute truth was “Cross my heart and hope to die. Stick a needle in my eye.” I received correct answers from Jeanne Pesicka, Barbara Cadwell, Lana Tepfer, Jess Birge, Clare Zumalt, Keith and Marlene Clymer, Joan Chantler, Margo Dameier, Susan Ronning and Shirley Colf this week’s winner of a quilt raffle ticket. And last week I missed Margo Dameier.

The Miss America Pageant has changed dramatically over the years, but we can all remember watching it during the early 1960s when it was the highest-rated television program. For this week’s “Remember When” question, who was the host for the Miss America telecast from 1955 through 1979 when each pageant ended with him singing “There She Is, Miss America” as the winner was crowned? Email your answer to www.mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, leave a message at 541-296-4788 or send it with a recording of the television show Stop the Music that aired in the 1950s.

Well, it has been another week looking up my sleeve for the unexpected. Until we meet again, remember the adage that’s fitting for these times, “Better be safe than sorry”.

“You are only young once, but you can stay immature indefinitely.” Ogden Nash

2020 has been quite a ride. And with all the stay at home orders and cancellations. you may be thinking, “I’m not adding this year to my age – I didn’t use it!” But we’re tough and resilient knowing from every experience there is something to learn.

For this first column of 2021, I thought I would again share some lessons I have learned over the years listening to the amazing “elders” that I encounter daily. I have learned more than I could ever have imagined, and yet, I still feel like a rookie.

As I am often reminded this journey of ours is not about living longer. It is about taking care of ourselves and others so we can gracefully live the rest of our lives with courage, compassion and meaning. Tell me if any of these lessons speak to you.

1. What is good for your heart is good for your brain.
2. Learn a new skill without worrying how good you’ll be.
3. First steps to improve your memory: pay attention and focus.
4. Most things don’t really matter, but a few really do.
5. The goal is not to get faster but to keep from slowing down.
6. Getting older beats the alternative, but it is hard work.
7. Accept what you can’t control – and then adapt.
8. Live in the “now”.
9. Know what you want and let others know – particularly your adult children!
10. “Dream as if you will live forever and live as if you will die tomorrow.” James Dean
11. Age is in your attitude.
12. Adeline’s five “S” to avoid: Sugar, Salt, Seconds, Soda and Shortening.
13. Add color to your meals – meaning eat your vegetables!
14. Isolation kills. Stay connected.
15. Keep moving – at least 30 minutes a day.
16. Breathe from your belly.
17. See the world with virgin eyes and you’ll find the extraordinary in the ordinary.
18. Relationships are more important than things (although I do have an unhealthy relationship with my iPhone).
 19. Grey hair is cool.
 20. And as Carl Kramer once said, “Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out and before you know it you are 100 years old!”

If you haven’t already, you must read this month’s “Through the Eyes of an Elder” by Colleen Ballinger’s in today’s edition. She shares her experience of becoming a hospice nurse and through that experience what dying has taught her about living.

For those who live in The Dalles area, the Center is having a book and puzzle sale on Saturday, January 9^th from 10:00 – 1:00 PM. Books $3.00 a bag and puzzles $1.00 apiece.

The bandleader for the Royal Canadians that for fifty years at the stroke of midnight played “Auld Lang Syne” was Guy Lombardo. I received correct answers from Tina Castanares, Jeannie Pesicka, Kim Birge, Barbara Cadwell, Jim Ayers, Rose Schulz, and Dave Lutgens this week’s winner of a quilt raffle ticket.

And those who sent in last week’s answer, White Christmas, were Cheri Brent, Jeanne Pesicka, Rhonda Spies, Cindy Winfield, Rose Schulz, Jim and Betsy Ayers, Barbara Cadwell, Dave Lutgens and Margo Dameier who is a White Christmas aficionado and last week’s winner of a quilt raffle ticket.

“Step on a crack and break your mother’s back” was a childhood saying I still remember – and I still walk carefully down the sidewalk!  For this week’s “Remember When” question, what was the saying children used to convince someone they were telling the absolute truth? Email your answer to www.mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, leave a message at 541-296-4788 or send it with a handmade wooden cross.

Well, it has been another week looking for the sun on a cloudy day. Until we meet again, during the holidays my routines were so scrambled, I had to look at my pill box to know what day it was!

“Life is about change, sometimes it’s painful, sometimes it’s beautiful, but most of the time it’s both.” —Kristin Kreuk

Nutritious Home delivered meals and pick-ups for anyone over 60.

The Sherman County Senior and Community Center – Call 541-565-3191 by 10:30 AM and leave a message with the number of meals needed and the names of each person.

The Dalles Meals-on-Wheels – Call 541-298-8333 to sign up for home delivered meals. Call before 10:30 AM, to pick up a meal at noon at the Mid-Columbia Senior Center.

Hood River Valley Adult Center – To sign up for Meals-on-Wheels call 541-386-2060 and ask for Eric. You can also pick up a drive-thru meal from 11:30 AM until 12:45 PM.

Skamania County Senior Services – Call 509-427-3990.

Klickitat County Senior Services – For home-delivered meals call the Goldendale office (509-773-3757) or the White Salmon office (509-493-306).

Pioneer Potlatch meal sites in Wasco and Sherman Counties call 541-298-4354.