Aging Well in the Gorge September 6th 2016

As we grow older, there are significant challenges: illicit drugs, unprotected sex – oops, wrong age group! Let’s start again.

As we grow older, there are significant challenges: the cost of health care - even with Medicare coverage; transportation - particularly if you no longer drive; affordable housing - that is clean and accessible; and finding skilled and trusted caregivers. But do you agree? Or are there other challenges you feel haven’t been adequately addressed? And which ones do you feel are the most critical?

The local Area Agency on Aging (AAA) would like to hear your thoughts and insights about what our communities need to support older adults, at a community meeting at the Center on Friday, September 16^th from 10:00 – 11:30. The results from the meeting will help shape the services and supports the AAA provides for older adults in the region.

But it will take more than government programs such as the AAA to support and improve the lives of older adults. I will take non-profits, businesses, families, and the health care community, all working together to address the issues facing older adults now and in the future.

One grass roots effort that is working to create a community that promotes and fosters the well-being of elders through education and advocacy is the Aging in the Gorge Alliance (AGA). They have several functioning work groups including Housing and Transportation, Caregiving, Multigenerational activities and Age of Dignity Reading Project.

(You will be hearing more about Age of Dignity Reading Project in the next several weeks. But briefly, the AGA will be distributing for free four hundred copies of the book Age of Dignity - Preparing for the Elder Boom in a Changing America to local libraries and small discussions group in the Gorge (including the Center) with a large community forum to be held on Saturday, October 22nd, in Hood River.)

The AGA is looking for more folks from The Dalles area. If you want to get involved, the next general AGA meeting is on Tuesday, October 11^th from 6:30 – 8:45 at Down Manor in Hood River. Give me a call if you would like a ride. And if you want to receive their emails, contact Tina Castanares at tdcastanares@gmail.com or 541-354-1666.

You may have recently decided to stick your toe in the waters of the digital age with a new smartphone or tablet. Or maybe you bought a new computer with Windows 10 and the last operating system you used was Windows XP. Where can you get help? Before you spend money on professional services, you can stop by the Center any Wednesday at 9:00 for help. Or you can stop by the “Bring Your Own Device Lab” at The Dalles/Wasco County Library on every third Wednesday from 1pm - 2pm and every third Saturday from 10am - 11am. Six slots are available on a first-come, first-serve basis.

To celebrate the importance and joy of being a grandparent, the Center is hosting a Grandparents’ Breakfast this Saturday, September 10^th from 8:00 – 9:30. The menu consists of pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, fruit and juice. The cost is $5.00 for one adult, $3.00 for children twelve and under. And there’s a special rate for a grandparent and one grandchild, or great grandchild, or great-great grandchild for $6.00.

Martin and Friends will be playing at the Center on Tuesday, September 13^th. Doors open at 6:00, music starts at 7:00, and donations are appreciated.

“What's My Line?” was one of network television's longest running and most beloved prime time game shows; and where the question “Is it bigger than a bread box?” was first used by Steve Allen. (This week’s winners of a quilt raffle ticket each are Patsy Warner and Nadine McCracken.)

Controversy has always been a part of America’s political landscape ever since Burr shot Hamilton. So for this week’s “Remember When” question who said during the 1952 presidential campaign, “And our little girl—Tricia, the 6-year-old—named it Checkers. And you know, the kids, like all kids, love the dog and I just want to say this right now that regardless of what they say about it, we're gonna keep it.” Email your answer to www.mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, leave a message at 541-296-4788 or mail it with the names of the members of the 1948 House Committee on Un-American Activities.

Well, it’s been another week, wondering, “Where did the time go?” Until we meet again, sometimes stubbornness is just another name for being determined – and sometimes it’s not.

“Never have children, only grandchildren.” Gore Vidal