Mineral Wells Index (Mineral Wells, Tex.), Vol. 113, No. 128, Ed. 1 Thursday, November 1, 2012 Page: 6 of 10
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Senior Scene
Mineral Wells Index / Thursday, November 1, 2012
Call Classifieds at 940-327-0838
PAGE 6
It’s a Party! courtesy
It was a large gathering of October birthday celebrants at Friday’s monthly birthday party at the Mineral
Wells Senior Center. Celebrating October birthdays were Earnest King, Bill Davis, Marla Thomas, Max
Wheeler, Laura Pullum,Arlie Warton, Bob Davis, Weldon Greve,Jim Ball, Pat Wilson, Carol Jurd, Joyce Stoker,
Kay Cornish, Lewis Hardy, Bob Vaughn, David Draper, Janet Snow, Cindy Sanders, Charles Smith and Joe Baker.
Taking home the birthday plants were Charles Smith taking home Awesome Blossum’s donation and Carol
Jurd, taking home Cole’s House of Flowers’ donated plant.
SaVVy
Help for seniors
who worry about
memory problems
Dear Savvy Senior,
My mother, who's 72, has become very forgetful late-
ly and is worried she may have Alzheimer's. Is herfor-
getfidness really something we should worry about?
What should we do?
Worried Daughter
Dear Worried,
Many seniors worry about memory lapses as
they get older, fearing it may be the first signs of
Alzheimer's disease or some other type of demen-
tia. To get some insight on the seriousness of your
mom's problem, here are some key warning signs
to be vigilant of and some resources you can turn
to for help.
Many good gifts
By VIVIAN CONRAD
Special to the Index
"Vivian, wait, I've got something SENIOR
for you," my Mom called as I was
leaving for work Monday morning, OENTER
News
Meeting me in the driveway that
separates our houses, she handed
me a package and said, "It's for the
Senior Center. I thought everyone
there would enjoy it."
The "it" turned out to be a black,
hairy 10-inch-wide battery-operat-
ed spider robot, made to scamper
about the floor and change direc-
tions when it bumps into walls.
"You're right, Mom, my people
will love this," I replied, silently
adding, "Or not ..."
I love my mother's good humor
and zest for life, and I'm tickled by
the little gifts she finds for me and
my workplace. But she's not the
only person who has thought of
our Senior Center lately. Last
Friday it seemed that the whole
community drew together to sup-
port our monthly birthday party.
With over 100 people in atten-
dance, 23 of whom were celebrat-
ing October birthdays, we were
grateful as always for the meals
and popcorn sponsored by Waddy
Best Value Pharmacy. Abbi Home
Care not only provided the birth-
day cake, but also donated a num-
ber of door prizes. As they have for
many years, Cole's House of
Flowers again gave a beautiful
plant to one of the birthday per-
sons. And for the second month in
a row, Awesome Blossoms pitched
in another plant so that two birth-
day celebrants could receive one.
We were delighted to receive a
stack of Walmart gift cards from
Palo Pinto Nursing and Rehab to
give to some of our birthday cele-
brants. Several businesses in town
also provided door prizes for the
party. We are grateful to My
Mineral Wells
Senior Center
Schedule
November 2012
The center, 102 N.W. 6th Ave.,
is open Monday through Friday
(except holidays) from 8 a.m. to
3 p.m. The phone number is
(940) 325-6470.
Daily Lunch Menu
(Served at noon with a $3 dona-
tion, unless noted otherwise,
24-hour advance reservation
requested.)
1 - Chicken spaghetti
2 - Brunch with egg and sau-
By Vivian Conrad
Senior Center
Exec. Dir.
Father's Business, Bargains for
Better Homes, Mr. Jim's Pizza, and
El Paseo for the gifts they donated.
Several individuals also stepped
in to help. Rita Alvarado, Carolyn
Seltzer, Nellie Garcia and Yvonne
Clinton made some beautiful neck-
laces and bracelets that we gave as
door prizes, and we also received
dozens of perfume samples from
Bealls to use as giveaways. Ruby
Kling, of Abbi Home Care, her
daughter Keisha Henry, who works
at Bealls, Dollie Meals, from Family
Care of Texas, and Sharon, of Palo
Pinto Nurshing and Rehab, all vol-
unteered to help serve and clean up.
While I am acknowledging the
involvement of our community, I'd
also like to thank Walmart manager
Scotty Echols for his donations to
our center. His support has been a
real blessing to us. Deborah and
Floyd Richards at Chubby's BBQ &
Grill and Ida Nickerson from
Shotgun's have also supported us,
donating food for our parties and
fundraisers. Natty Flat Smokehouse
on .S. Highway 281 often smokes
our birthday briskets for us at no
charge.
We have two more big thank
yous coming up. This Saturday,
Nov. 3, Steve from Smitty's Cycles
has helped us set up a motorcycle
rally fundraiser. Riders will register
at 9 a.m., and the bikes will pull out
sage casserole
5 - Tuna casserole
6 - Meat loaf
7 - King ranch casserole
8 - Cheeseburger with lettuce
9 - Chicken and sausage
gumbo
12 - Chicken parmesan
13 - Barbecue sandwich
14 - Chicken and dumplings
15 - Pepper steak over rice
16 - Fried catfish ($4.50)
19 - Chicken salad sandwiches
20 - Beef stew
21 - Thanksgiving meal with
turkey and dressing
26 - Oven-fried chicken
27 - Flam
28 - Spinach and bacon quiche
29 - Chicken quesadilla with
at 9:30 a.m. for a four-stop poker
run. Even if you don't come on a
motorcycle, everyone is welcome to
join us for a barbecue lunch we'll
serve from noon-2 p.m, with barbe-
cue provided by Chubby's,
Shotgun's and Chet Burge, of
Weatherford. Rally riders will pay
$10 for one person and $15 for two
on a bike, and lunch is $3 for every-
one. Our senior center band will be
set up outside if the weather per-
mits, and there will be photo ops
and door prizes. And while you're
there you can shop at our annual
craft sale that runs today through
Saturday, Nov. 1-3. So plan to come
on down and join the fun.
And the entertainment won't stop
there. Don't forget United Way's
Penny Auction that same evening at
Mineral Wells Junior High School.
Doors will open at 5 p.m. and the
auction will begin at 6 p.m.
My cup of gratitude is running
over. We received a call from Ron
Davis, manager of The Wash House
car wash on FM Road 1821 North,
in front of Walmart. The car wash
owner has decided to show his sup-
port for our senior center by hold-
ing a benefit car wash on Saturday,
Nov. 10. He will be donating car
wash proceeds from 8 a.m. until
noon to the center, and he's allow-
ing us to set up a bake sale in the lot
adjacent to the car wash. If you
have plans to wash your car in the
near future, how about supporting
this fundraiser on Nov. 10.
Many good gifts are coming our
way from Mineral Wells and
beyond, including the support of
the Mineral Wells Index editor
David May who runs this column
and promotes our events. Thanks
to him and to all of you who are
helping us serve our community by
keeping us in business. We all, cen-
ter staff and participants, are grate-
ful for your support.
guacamole
30 - Pot roast with vegetables
Daily Activities
• Walking at the senior center (8
a.m.-9 a.m.)
• Coffee/newspaper/visiting.
• Shuffleboard/billiards.
• Exercise equipment/comput-
ers.
• Craftwork/p uzzles.
• Table games.
Weekly Activities
Monday
• 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. - Cathy
Torres, geriatric social worker,
connecting with individuals and
their families with resources and
services. Call for appointment.
Warning signs
As we grow older, some memory difficulties -
such as trouble remembering names of people or
places or forgetting where you put your glasses -
are associated with normal aging. But the symp-
toms of Alzheimer's disease are much more than
simple memory lapses. Knowing the early warn-
ing signs is a good first step in recognizing the dif-
ference between typical age-related memory loss
and a more serious problem. To help you evaluate
your mom's condition, here's a checklist of some
common early symptoms to watch for:
• Asking the same questions repeatedly.
• Getting lost in familiar areas.
• Failing to recognize familiar people.
• Having difficulty following directions.
• Misplaces items in inappropriate places, for
example putting her keys in the microwave.
• Having difficulty completing familiar tasks
like cooking a meal or paying a bill.
• Having trouble remembering common words
when speaking, or mixing up words.
For more information, the Alzheimer's
Association provides a list of 10 warning signs that
you can access at 10signs.org, or call 1-800-272-
3900 and request a free copy of their booklet
"Basics of Alzheimer's Disease: What it is and
what you can do."
Another good screening tool is the self-admin-
istered cognitive screening (SAGE) test that was
developed at The Ohio State University Medical
Center. This test helps identify mild cognitive
impairment and early dementia, and can be taken
at home in about 10 to 15 minutes. You can down-
load the SAGE test along with scoring instructions
at sagetest.osu.edu.
Get help
After going through the warning signs and/or
testing of your mom, if you're still concerned, get
her in to see her doctor for a thorough medical
examination. Her doctor may then refer her to a
geriatrician or neurologist who specializes in diag-
nosing and treating memory loss or Alzheimer's
disease.
Keep in mind that even if your mom is experi-
encing some memory problems, it doesn't necessar-
ily mean she has early stage Alzheimer's. Many
memory problems are brought on by other factors
like stress, depression, thyroid disease, side effects
of medications, sleep disorders, vitamin deficiencies
and other medical conditions. And by treating these
conditions she can reduce or eliminate the problem.
Free memory screening
Another option you should know about is
National Memory Screening Day on Nov. 13,
where your mom can get her memory tested for
free. Sponsored by the Alzheimer's Foundation of
America (AFA), this free service provides a confi-
dential, face-to-face memory screening that takes
about 10 minutes to complete and consists of ques-
tions and/or tasks to evaluate her memory status.
The screening is given by doctors, nurse practi-
tioners, psychologists, social workers or other
healthcare professionals in more than 2,500 sites
across the country. It's also important to know that
this screening is not a diagnosis. Instead, its goal is
to detect problems and refer individuals with these
problems for further evaluation.
To find a screening site in your area visit
nationalmemoryscreening.org or call 866-232-8484.
The AFA recommends checking for a screening
location shortly before Nov. 13, because new sites
are constantly being added.
♦
Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior,
P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit
SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to
the NBC Today show and author of "The Savvy
Senior" book.
‘Eddie ‘Rjmsey, ‘RjPft.
Waddy Pharmacy
106 SW 6th Ave., Mineral Wells
(940) 325-0734
www. mybestvaluerx. com
Voted #1 Pharmacy
and Pharmacist
%o5ert Waddy, %fPft.
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May, David. Mineral Wells Index (Mineral Wells, Tex.), Vol. 113, No. 128, Ed. 1 Thursday, November 1, 2012, newspaper, November 1, 2012; Mineral Wells, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth707053/m1/6/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Boyce Ditto Public Library.