Senior Lifestyles

Courtesy of Margriet DeLange
The Senior Inclusion and Participation Project’s inaugural Senior Tech Event last year brought different generations together to help seniors with phones, tablets and computers.

At the Feb. 15 meeting of the Rotary Club of Los Altos, gerontologist Margriet DeLange spoke of two seniors.

Mary, she said, is 81 years old. She lost her first husband 15 years ago and has been married to her second husband for 10 years.

Courtesy of Patricia Boone
Joe Krackeler holds the winners’ cup from the USA 80-plus team’s victory over Team Canada.

Sharpened skate blades slice against the ice as the bright-red puck glides along it at a rapid rate. In the back of the rink playing defense stands Joe Krackeler, completely in his environment.

It’s an environment not many people his age experience. Krackeler is 81. He played ice hockey as a teen and picked it up again 30 years ago. Last fall, the Los Altos Hills resident played for Team USA 80-plus in an international game against Team Canada.

Starting in April, Medicare will mail new cards to all people with Medicare to help protect you from identity fraud.

Fraudsters are always looking for ways to get your Social Security number, so we’re removing those numbers from Medicare cards to make them safer.

Imagine this scenario: A major earthquake occurs in Northern California, and you’re away from home. Your children are at school, the roads are blocked and there’s no cellphone service. Your elderly next-door neighbor lives alone. Your dog is inside the house.

What now?

The following events are scheduled at the Los Altos Senior Program’s two locations: Hillview Community Center at 97 Hillview Ave. and the Grant Park Community Center at 1575 Holt Ave. To register for events and for more information, call 947-2727.

Hillview

• 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 5: Trip to the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum and Botanical Garden. Participants will tour the research facility, which features more than 300 plant families. The garden tour will last 60-90 minutes; attendees are advised to wear comfortable shoes and clothing. Cost – including transportation, guided tour and gratuity – is $54 for members, $59 for nonmembers. Participants should arrive at Hillview by 9:45 a.m. Seats are limited. The deadline to pre-register is Monday.

The Mountain View Senior Center is located at 266 Escuela Ave. To register for trips and for more information, call 903-6330 or visit mountainview.gov/depts/cs/rec/senior.

The following trips are scheduled through the Mountain View Senior Center.