Senior Living • January 2018

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Fun good for the mind Cedars of Austin brings Jeopardy to Mower County Senior Center By Christopher Baldus chris.baldus@austindailyherald.com

Surely nobody in the Mower County Senior Center dining room would have ever thought Dagwood — the frenetic husband in the classic comic strip “Blondie” — would ever be considered good for your health. It’s all about context. In this moment, he was the answer to a Jeopardy question.

Cedars of Austin marked National Activities Professionals Week by bringing the game to the center. Every Thursday, Cedars staff lead a brain game, such as Jeopardy, for residents at the senior living community. The engaging games are a kind of therapeutic recreation that helps with memory. There are other games, but Jeopardy seems to be far and away the favorite, said Lisa Nelson, director of sales and marketing at the Cedars. On stage playing the roles of game show host and the ques-

tions board were Cathy Ehley and Sue Barns. Ehley filled the role of Alex Trebek while Barns ran the not always cooperative game board, which was more of a tapestry with hearts attached by stubborn velcro. Ehley directs recreation and wellness as well as memory care. She has been at The Cedars since 2005. Her mission is to “enrich the lives of our residents through meaningful activities,” says her biography on The Cedars website.

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Audience members raise their hands and flyswatters hoping to be chosen to answer a Jeopardy question Wednesday at the Mower County Senior Center. Christopher Baldus/chris.baldus@austindailyherald.com

Stay sharp, keep active Senior Center offers variety of organized and informal activities By Christopher Baldus chris.baldus@austindailyherald.com

Men with knives meet weekly at the Mower County Senior Center. These are not pocket knives for whittling. These are good blades that stay sharp and are used alongside gougers and V-blades. They are used tocraft wood masterpieces. The Woodcarvers Club, which has between eight and a dozen members, is scheduled to meet from 8:30-11:30 a.m. Wednesdays at the center in Austin. It’s one of a number of activities the senior center hosts. Another group focuses on stitching projects. There is also a call out for chess and bridge players. To get involved with the Woodcarvers Club, you are encouraged to stop by during one of its Wednesday sessions. Experience is not necessary. Club members will help you along. Member Russell Vaale said for that first visit you don’t need to bring anything. Just look around and talk with club members, who will give pointers on tools and such. You likely will see a variety of projects that could inspire you. Some other activites include: • Stitching Bees: Every Wednesday from 1-3 p.m., people are invited to join this group and work on their own projects, such as knitting, quilting and crocheting. “Stitching Bees is the perfect group to sit down , chitchat, drink coffee and complete your projects,” says a note in the Senior Center’s newsletter. • Bingo: Games begin at 1 p.m. on Thursdays. Cards are 50 cents apiece and are good for 17 games. Russell Vaale works on a piece during a meeting of the Woodcarvers Club on Wednesday at the Mower County Senior Center in Austin. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com

Minnesota’s Better Business Bureau names top scams of 2017 Simply hang up on the most-reported scam, bureau says Austin Daily Herald

newsroom@austindailyherald.com

The purpose of the top-reported scam of the year, according to the Better Business Bureau of Minnesota and North Dakota, is not entirely clear. However, the bureau advised that should one get a call with an automated voice asking “Can you hear me?” simply hang up. The bureau annually compiles a top 10 list of scams based on local reports to BBB Scam Tracker. In the Minnesota and North Dakota area, the bureau received nearly 1,200 re por ts through Scam Tracker in 2017.

“We believe BBB Scam Tracker is an invaluable tool, for BBB, consumers and business owners,” said Susan Adams Loyd, president and CEO of the regional bureau. “It helps us track the pulse of the marketplace and serves as both a reporting tool and an online tutorial on how various forms of fraud are perpetrated.” The top-reported scam of the year was the “Can You Hear Me” calls which made the rounds in early 2017. The process went like this: People would receive phone calls and an automated voice would say, “Can you hear me?” It is believed the goal was to get people to say yes, possibly to serve as ‘proof ’ they had authorized a charge or agreed

to some kind of offer. These calls filtered out as the year progressed, but should they flare up again – as scams so often do – the bureau advises people to simply hang up the phone. Online purchases were the second most-reported scam of the year, with many of these reports having to do with purchases made on less-than-reputable websites or products received being different from what was advertised. Such reports also encompass situations where people signed up for trial offers and were then charged on an ongoing basis, despite attempts to cancel or not authorizing these charges.

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See ACTIVE, Page 2B


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