Because there is so much to cover this week, I thought I would skip my wanderings about vegetables, many happy returns and the joys of grand parenting till another week. Stay tuned.
Thanks to Occupational Health Services of MCMC you will be able to get your Flu Shots on October 15th and 16th from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm in the Senior Center’s basement. Make sure you have a copy of your Medicare or insurance card, since they will be billed. Otherwise the cost is $20. If you have any questions call Suzanne Cross at 296-7811 or the Senior Center at 296-4788.
This Thursday the 16th from 1:30 – 3:00 at the Center, Fern Wilcox will present “A Good Night’s Sleep” the second in a her once-a-month series on Healthy Aging. Are there secrets to getting a good night’s sleep? How much sleep do we need as we get older? Are naps a good thing? Fern will help us understand how to get the most from this nightly activity so critical to our health: sleep.
There was tremendous interest in seeing the “Singing Christmas Tree” in Portland, so I have reserved twenty tickets – 10 seats in the first balcony and 10 seats on the Orchestra Floor – for the 1:30 matinee performance on Sunday November 30th. The tickets including transportation will be $65 and you can pay for them at the Center. Enjoy a nice Thanksgiving with family and then start the Christmas season with a wonderful performance of the “Singing Christmas Tree”. For more information call the Center at 296-4788.
“Hospice: It’s about Life!” is the topic for The Next Chapter Lecture Series. Pat Case of Hospice of the Gorge describes the value of this presentation. “People often think the worst when they hear the word ‘hospice.’ Let’s face it, no one really wants to think about it or talk about it… dying, that is. But according to Gretchen Hagen, Executive Director for Hospice of The Gorge, hospice is as much about living as it is about dying. While hospice specializes in providing end-of-life care, Hagen says the focus of hospice care is on helping people live life to the fullest extent possible for the rest of their lives. ‘I was a hospice nurse for many years, and I’ve seen some amazing examples of how people’s lives changed for the better when they came onto hospice care. Our focus, you see, is on helping people find hope, even in the process of dying. Hospice helps people relax and we help them be free of pain … so they can actually enjoy life. And once that happens, their lives are immediately enriched. I’ve seen time and time again, how hospice has helped people have end-of-life journeys of discovery, love, and sometimes, yes, even joy.’ Gretchen Hagen will be sharing her views about hospice care and the stories of patients she has known, in a presentation at the Mid Columbia Senior Center, on Tuesday, October 21 at 11:00. All are welcome to attend.
If you think you can’t play golf or tennis because your body moves like the Tin Man before he got the grease, but you can still imagine yourself as Jack Nicklaus or Billie Jean King, you are the person we want to join us every Friday morning starting at 10:00 in the Center’s basement to learn to play the Wii sports games. I am asking, because last Friday I was the only person present and it is hard to explain how playing Wii Golf (which is fun) by yourself (which isn’t so much fun) is part of my many responsibilities as director. (Someone has to learn how to play the games in order to teach others, right?) During the cold and snowy months, the Wii games are great opportunity to keep moving although granted not as fast as the real game – which may be a good thing.
Tuesday Night Music on the 21st will feature “Hardshell Harmony” returning to play excellent bluegrass music. They are a popular band in town and you will really enjoy their bluegrass pickings. And tonight you can listen to Truman’s Country Gold sponsored by Heart of Gold Caregivers. Music starts at 7:00 and everyone is welcome. Admission is free but donations are gladly accepted.
It is that time of the month for our monthly Senior Center breakfast. This month’s menu includes hotcakes, bacon and fruit with special seasonal toppings for the hotcakes. Breakfast is from 8:00 – 10:00 and is $5 for the general public and $4 for members. Enjoy a leisurely morning with good food and good friends. “Food always tastes better when someone else cooks it.”
If you are interested in receiving information about the Center and healthy aging, please send me your e-mail address. Currently I have only 34 people on my group list for receiving the weekly Center newsletter and I would like to grow that list to 300. It would keep you in the know and save the Center plenty on postage. And I promise I will not sell your name to the nearest Viagra dealer or sub-prime mortgage lender (although I don’t think we need to worry about them any more, just the consequences) or a national singles club (unless you want me to).
That is it for another week and what a week it was. Until the next time, while enduring these unsettling economic times, stay calm, enjoy the moment and think small. “The future ain’t what it use to be.” -Yogi Berra
