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The County Times
Thursday, February 20, 2014
St. Mary’s Department of Aging
SENIOR LIVING
Programs and Activities Honeymooners Hidden Episodes
On Monday, Feb. 24, at 10:30 a.m., enjoy some cozy comforts in the social room at the Northern Senior Activity Center. There’s a bit of a chill in the air. Is it snowing outside? Stop by to enjoy the comforts of a warm fireplace, comfy couch and rocking chair with throws and blankets, while watching ‘The Honeymooners’ starting at 10:30 a.m. Watch the hilarious comedies of ‘Christmas Party’ and ‘Forgot to Register’ with Jackie Gleason, Art Carney, Audrey Meadows and Joyce Randolph. If interested in reserving lunch, call 301-475-4002, Ext. 1001 by noon Friday, Feb. 21. After lunch, join us for an afternoon of fresh baked cookies with hot chocolate in the Great Room.
CSM Wellness Clinic
On Thursday, Feb. 27, from 9:30-11:30 a.m., CSM Wellness Clinic held at the Northern Senior Activity Center. There will be free screenings for pulse oximetry, blood pressure, height, weight, vision, and BMI (Body Mass Index). Presentations will be on diabetes and foot care, heart/stroke, osteoporosis, respiratory hygiene, the “Germ Detector” tool and hand washing etiquette will be given. Interviews for longevity and nutrition screenings will also be available. Walk-ins are welcome.
Living Well with Chronic Disease
There are still a few slots open for the Living Well with Chronic Disease workshop that will be held at the Loffler Senior Activity Center. This is a six week workshop on managing a chronic condition. The class will meet at the center on Thursdays, Mar. 6-Apr. 10. This is an evidence-based program, developed by Stanford University to help people with chronic conditions take charge of their life by developing self-management
skills. This includes dealing with depression and fatigue, pain management, working with health care providers and more. If you have a chronic condition and are serious about improving the way you feel, this is the workshop for you. There is no charge for taking this class; however, a commitment to regular attendance is needed for good results. For more information or to sign up call 301-737-5670, ext. 1658.
Matter of Balance
A Matter of Balance is a nationally recognized, awardwinning time-tested program for people over 60 designed to help manage falls and increase activity levels. In this class, participants will learn to: View falls and fear of falls as controllable; set realistic goals for increasing activity; make changes to reduce falls at home and exercise to increase strength and balance. Classes are held once a week on Mondays, Mar. 17 – May 5 from 10 a.m. - noon and are led by two trained coaches in the Matter of Balance program. All materials are provided. To sign up for the course, call 301-475-4200, ext. 1050 no later than Wednesday, Mar. 3. Space is limited so sign up early; attendance at all class sessions is highly encouraged.
Tai Chi for Arthritis Beginner Class Forming at the Loffler Senior Activity Center
The Loffler Senior Activity Center will be holding beginning Tai Chi for Arthritis classes at 9 a.m. on Wednesday mornings from Mar.12 through Apr. 30 (8 sessions). Medical studies have shown that practicing this program significantly reduces pain, prevents falls for the elderly and provides many other health benefits in a relatively short period of time. While there
is no monetary cost for this class, commitment to attendance and practice at home is required of students. Space is limited. To sign up for this class or for more information call 301-7375670, ext. 1658.
FREE, presentation on Hearing Loss and Treatment Options
An audiologist from The Hearing Professionals will be at the Loffler Senior Activity Center to offer presentation on Thurs, Mar. 20 at 10 a.m. The topic will be ‘Hearing Loss and Treatment Options’. They will review how we hear, causes of hearing loss and information you need to know before investing in hearing aids. The following Thursday, Mar. 27, staff from the Hearing Professionals will be back to offer free hearing screenings. To sign up for the presentation and/or make an appointment for a 15-minute screening call 301-737-5670, ext. 1658.
Annual Orioles Bus Trip on the Horizon
Hey Orioles fans, clear your calendar for Wednesday, May 14 so you can watch your favorite Baltimore team play the Detroit Tigers at Camden Yards. Don’t worry about the traffic; we’ve scheduled a bus to pick up fans at all three of the conveniently located senior activity centers. The cost for this trip is $60, which includes transportation, ticket for covered seating, bus driver tip, water and snack on the bus. Stop by any of the Senior Activity Centers in St. Mary’s County to make your payment and reserve you space. Call Joyce at 301-737-5670, ext. 1656 for more information.
Loffler Senior Activity Center 301-737-5670, ext. 1652; Garvey Senior Activity Center, 301-475-4200, ext. 1050 Northern Senior Activity Center, 301-475-4002, ext. 1001 Visit the Department of Aging’s website at www.stmarysmd.com/aging for the most up-to date information.
Dr. John Edward Gerner By Linda Reno Contributing Writer “Hurrying to the door-way the family was horror-stricken to see the husband and father [John Edward Garner] lying just inside the door sill. By the flickery light of the hall lamp, they saw a ghastly face and a blood stain, ever increasing, on the white vest, right above the heart.” He died the next afternoon, March 3, 1876. The killer of Dr. John Edward Garner was Mrs. Sarah Josephine Wilner whose husband and two children had died three years before. She held Dr. Garner and a number of other physicians in Milwaukee responsible for their deaths. Unfortunately, Dr. Garner happened to be the first on her list for killing. After the shooting, she fled the scene and was heard to say “He killed my husband, my brother, my cousin
and my uncle. Now I’ve killed him and I’m glad of it.” Mrs. Wilner jumped into the hired hack and asked to be driven to a number of places in the city. The terrified driver obeyed. After no success in finding her next targeted doctor, she asked to be taken to a hotel where she registered under her real name, then ordered and ate dinner as if nothing had happened. The hack driver went to the police who shortly thereafter arrived to arrest her. She “received them without any disturbance, admitting that she had done the deed. It was with some reluctance, however, that she gave up the revolver, a small 5-ball Wesson & Harrington, which she claimed she needed for her protection.” Mrs. Wilner was then taken to Dr. Garner’s house where he identified her as the shooter. “When he reproached her for her act, she talked incoherently, saying that she had gone to Europe to escape his persecution, that he had killed her husband and children and the like. Then she was taken to the police station.”
A Journey Through Time The
Throughout her trial, Mrs. Wilner claimed that she was “constantly afflicted with ‘medical odors,’ which were being projected toward her by a league of Milwaukee physicians, whose object was her ruin. To escape this persecution she left Milwaukee a few months after her husband’s death, returning to her birthplace, Geneva, Ohio but the odors followed her there, and she moved from one relative to another without finding relief. Finally she went abroad, but even with the ocean between, she believed that the baleful acts of her enemies were still operative.” Her trial “was a long and hotly contested legal and medical battle, which engendered much bitter feeling. Opinion as to the prisoner’s sanity or insanity was almost equally divided. The jury, after being out fifty-eight hours, finally found her guilty.” There was a motion for a new trial and the case was referred to Wisconsin’s supreme court who agreed and a new trial was ordered. Mrs. Wilner’s defense attorney argued she was insane and that was the ulti-
Chronicle
mate decision of the court. She was then confined in a mental hospital where she spent the rest of her life. Dr. Garner was laid to rest in the Forest Home Cemetery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.