I’ve found that after I’ve asked someone to repeat themselves – for the third time, they just shake their head with that look that says “Oh, never mind. It’s not that important – even though your house is on fire!” Or when someone asks me a question, I often just silently nod, with a goofy smile, hoping I just didn’t agree to something I’ll regret. Ah, the joys of living with hearing loss.

This became particularly evident during my family reunion in Montana. The eight of us spent most of the time around the table sharing childhood memories, discussing sports and politics, and deciding who is going when to visit what the next day. But often I found it difficult to understand the conversation and would turn to my wife and ask, “What did they say?”. I felt like a tourist in a foreign land with my interpreter!

Those familiar with hearing loss get it. But those who aren’t, or experience it only once a year at a family reunion, often don’t understand. So how do you describe hearing loss to others?

Recently I read “How to Explain Hearing Loss to the Uninitiated” by Shari Eberts on the Living with Hearing Loss blog that offers several suggestions

Explain that hearing loss Is like playing Wheel of Fortune. On Wheel of Fortune, the contestants try to identify a phrase with only some of the letters visible. With hearing loss, you are trying to do the same, but with sounds instead of letters. You are constantly combining these incomplete sounds with other clues: lipreading (Masks don’t help.), body language (You need to face me!), and the context within the conversation to come up with something coherent. 

They may also believe hearings aids work like glasses and can give you 20-20 hearing. Hearing aids make sounds louder but are not always good at differentiating among sounds so the sounds often remain muffled or unclear making it harder to hear particularly in a noisy environment.

She has several other suggestions but those two I found most helpful in explaining hearing loss to my family so conversations don’t lead to frustration, anger, name-calling – which is sometimes my wife’s reaction when I can’t understand her. And she loves me!

Good news! Many senior and community centers have or will soon welcome folks back for in-person activities and meals. For example, the Hood River Valley Adult Center will be open starting August 2^nd. Masks will be required except when eating and there will be few other safety requirements which are a small inconvenience so we can gather again safely. Check with the meal site in your area to learn more.

The broadcast journalist who served as anchorman for the CBS Evening News for nineteen years and during that time reported on the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and other significant events was Walter Cronkite. I received correct answers from Rhonda Spies, Doug Nelson, Barbara Cadwell, Jess Birge, Margo Dameier, Stephen Woolpert, Susan Ellis, and the winner of a quilt raffle ticket Alan Winans. 

And for the previous week’s Paul Lynde question, I received correct answers from Susan Ellis, Barbara Cadwell, Doug Nelson, Kim Birge, Dave Lutgens, Margo Dameier, Lana Tepfer, Rhonda Spies, Keith Clymer, Gene Uczen, and that week’s winner of a quilt raffle ticket “CK the DJ” Courtney Kiser.

Even furrrrrrther back I missed Keith Clymer, Pat Kelly, J Chantler, and Clare Zumwalt, and in my coming and going I probably missed a few more.

I know many of you are country music fans so you may have watched this show starring Buck Owens and Roy Clark. For this week’s “Remember When” question, what was the name of the television variety show aired on CBS-TV from 1969–1971 (before going into syndication) and featured country music and humor from the fictional rural Kornfield Kounty? E-mail your answer to mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, call 541-296-4788 or drop it off with a greasy hamburger from Lulu’s Truck Stop.

Well, it’s been another week, trying to resist the irresistible. Until we meet again, in life there are good days – and then there are days when you feel like “Lonesome” George Gobel when he asked, “Did you ever get the feeling that the world was a tuxedo and you were a pair of brown shoes?”

“Birthdays are good for you. Statistics show that the people who have the most live the longest.” Larry Lorenzoni 

Lets’ face it – we aren’t getting any younger (or better looking – although I have noticed I find grey much more attractive these days!) And at some point in our lives, we will likely have difficulty caring for ourselves. It may be anticipated or unexpected; short–term or unending, because life happens and not always the way we wish. 

Okay, you’re fairly certain you don’t have early-stage dementia. And you want to keep mentally sharp so when you finally find your car in the parking lot, you know the way home. What should you do?

Most brain research suggests there are six lifestyle behaviors that impact brain health. But before I go any further, take a minute and consider what they could be.

Did you think of ongoing exercise with the goal of exercising several times per week for 30–60 minutes? Or eating right such as a Mediterranean diet that emphasizes plant-based foods, whole grains, fish, and healthy fats such as olive oil?

Good. But you may not have thought of the next three: managing stress such as practicing mindful meditation; restorative sleep preferably seven to eight hours; and being social which with the lifting of restrictions will be easier now.

Now the last may seem the most obvious: engaging the brain. There are many simple although not easy ways to challenge your brain that you can do by yourself anytime, and anywhere. (You don’t have to carry around a book of Sudoku puzzles or download a brain training app.)

Here are three mental exercises you can try just using that grey matter between your ears.

1.) Think of a list of items such as the months in the year and without paper and pencil alphabetize them by their first letter – and then by the second letter.

2.) Make a list of anything that comes to mind such as a to-do list and memorize it. An hour or so later, see how many items you can recall. You may often do this already when you leave your shopping list on the kitchen table!

3.) “Backward Digit Span”. When you hear or read a four-digit number, repeat it – but backward. Try increasing the number of digits and see how many digits you can repeat. Now try the same idea with letters.

You can keep your brain sharp by incorporating these six behaviors into your daily activities. You just have to put your mind to it.

Now that both Washington and Oregon have lifted most COVID restrictions, it is now up to us to decide what level of risk we want to accept. The risk has diminished significantly but there is still a risk. And even though I am fully vaccinated, and Oregon has reached the milestone of 70% vaccinated (and an even higher percentage for older adults) I’m still going to wear a mask when shopping indoors. For me, it is a wise choice.

In this month’s “Through the Eyes of an Elder”, Jamie Olivera interviews Ramiro Elisea who in 1968 made the journey from Mexico to “enjoy working hard” in the orchards in Hood River. It is an inspiring story worth reading.

The title of the novel by Grace Metalious published in 1956 that followed the lives of three women in a small New England village where the residents hold seamy sordid secrets was Peyton Place. I received correct answers from Susan Ellis, Steven Woolpert, Jeannie Pesicka, Karen Asai, Vicki, Billie Maxwell, Norma Simpson, Gene Uczen, Kim Birge, Margo Dameier, Lana Tepfer, Christy Turner, Dave Lutgens, Barbara Cadwell, Sharon Hartley, and Vicki White this week’s winner of a quilt raffle ticket. And last week I missed Susan Ellis and now I’ve forgotten who else I forgot last week!

It’s summer, it’s hot, so what did many of us do when we were younger – or maybe still do? We headed to the beach or our local swimming pool. During the summer of 1960, this song sung by Brian Hyland reached #1 and made this style of bathing suit – which was initially considered too risque – the rage of the beaches and swimming pools to the glee of every young man. For this week’s “Remember When” question, what was the name of the song? E-mail your answer to mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, call 541-296-4788 or drop it off while singing “One, two, three, four/Tell the people what she wore”.

Well, it’s been another week gently telling my younger friends, “I can do it!”. Until we meet again, don’t you find what’s most irritating about driving on the highway is encountering someone driving the speed limit?

“The trick to accomplishing anything is to avoid the obstacles that are not in your way.” Robert Brault

Boy, it’s been hot!

It reminds me of my younger days living in Indiana when we didn’t have air conditioning:  fans strategically placed throughout the house; a dehumidifier in the basement; sleeping uncovered, sprawled out on the bed, driving with the windows down and my shirt glued with perspiration to the back of the seat: hopping barefoot on the hot asphalt waiting in line to enter the pool. (I wasn’t too smart at that age!); and wearing my bathing suit all day long – which I thought I’d try again, but my wife quickly nixed that idea. Do you have memories of those not-so-good, good old days without air conditioning?

But we managed, didn’t we? Fortunately, these days there is air conditioning. Unfortunately, we are more susceptible to dehydration during these hot days because the percentage of a person’s weight in water significantly decreases as we get older. Consequently, any decrease in drinking fluids can cause proportionately more dehydration which can take a tremendous toll on every aspect of bodily functions, including possible changes in memory, vision, and kidney and heart function. (Okay, I’ll be back. I’m going to get a glass of water!)

Besides drinking plenty of liquids, preferably at least six cups throughout the day, stay cool. My house has only two window air conditioners so the house can get pretty warm. These last several days I’ve been using ice packs (or bag of frozen peas works well), cold water foot baths, and cold showers – plus plenty of fans.

As you hear on the news, heatwaves are dangerous. Thousands of emergency department visits are caused by heat illnesses and two of the most serious ones are heat stroke and heat exhaustion.

Heat stroke requires immediate medical attention. Someone experiencing heat stroke may have a headache, confusion, no sweating, rapid heart rate, nausea or vomiting, and may lose consciousness.

If a heat stroke is suspected, it is vital to take the following steps: Call 911 immediately.

Move the person to a cooler place, use cold compresses to get their temperature down, and do NOT give them fluids.                                                                                                                                     

Unlike heat stroke, heat exhaustion does not require immediate medical attention. The early warning signs of heat exhaustion are nausea, light-headedness, fatigue, muscle cramping, and dizziness. It is imperative to recognize the warning signs and act on them as soon as possible to help get the temperature down and cool the person’s body. Those steps include moving the person to an air-conditioned place; having them take a cold shower or using cold compresses; drinking plenty of fluid, and removing tight or extra clothing.

You probably know all of this, but it doesn’t hurt to be reminded because even with air conditioning during a prolonged heat wave with the hot days and nights that don’t cool off, homes can get dangerously warm. Stay cool, stay hydrated (although I would NOT recommend six glasses of your favorite wine!) And don’t forget to take time to check on your neighbors to make sure they can handle the heat.

Next week I’ll write more about dementia and how to keep your brain sharp.

The name of the original 1965 award-winning Broadway musical Inspired by Miguel de Cervantes and his 17th-century novel Don Quixote was Man of La Mancha. I received correct answers from Doug Nelson, Gene Uczen, Lana Tepfer, John McGuinn, Dave Lutgens, Diana Weston, Barbara Cadwell, and Deloris Schrader this week’s winner of a quilt raffle ticket. And last week I missed a bunch: Patty Burnet, Pat Evenson-Brady, Billie Maxwell, Keith Clymer, Gene Uczen, and Lana Tepfer.

This week’s question is about fine literature: a novel written not by Hemingway or Steinbeck, but Grace Metalious which was on the New York Times bestseller list for 59 weeks. For this week’s “Remember When” question what was the title of her novel published in 1956 that followed the lives of three women in a small New England village and became a popular expression describing a place where the residents hold seamy sordid secrets E-mail your answer to mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, call 541-296-4788 or send it with a DVD of the 1964 primetime television adaption of the book.

Well, it’s been another week enjoying cold showers and popsicles. Until we meet again, when does something misplaced become lost?

“I’m glad it is finally hot enough to complain about how hot it is!” Unknown