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THE ANCHOR-Diocese of Fall River-Fri., Nov. 8, 1991
Did yun know"m'llf't'he number of drivers 81 years old or more increased by 140 percent in the last decade.? Did you know that by the year 2020 there will be some 50 million people over 65; half of them will be over 75 and still eligible for driver's licenses? Will that make it a lot more dangerous to ven~ure out on a highway. in t~e ye~rs to c.ome? Not necessanly, If semor dnvers continue to take the safe driving courses, offered across the land. ~y wife and her sister, bothjust retired,. rece~tl~ graduated from ·the semor dnv~ng course off~red by the lo~al umt ~f ~he Amencan Auto~oblle AssocIation. Now they c~n.dnve almost as wel~ as I can. I ve.JaEen1he course tWIC~! ~here a~e man~ ben~flts fro Jll . g the supervlsea eigllt-fiOur classr~om program. ~ ot o~ly do yo~~ ~ow to aVOId accIdents whIle dn~mg, but you get a 10 perce'nt dIscount on part of your , F ATHER MELANCON with some 0 f h'IS re f erence auto insura:nce.· M th f t t h .( books. (McGowan photo) , ore anasc.oreo s ~ e~ave adopted laws whIch requlre ..m surance companies to offer the discount. The savings are good for three years and then you can take !he training over l!gain. T~lass has helped me change the community's seminary i; clii~ strrMoaf my bad habits; it has made By Pat McGowan cinnati. He continued teaching at me more alert and cautious, and it On a recent visit to Los Angeles, various Maryknoll houses lintil ha~slowed me down ~ especially we passed by a downtown house 1951, when he was assigne<Cro . ~t. Most of all, it has made with "Maryknoll" above the door. Mexico, teaching philosophy at me street smart. , "Let's stop." said my husband, a the Seminary of Merida in Yucaformer Maryknoll seminarian and an enthusiastic supporter of the tan for the next 30 years. Father Melancon retired in 1984, Catholic Foreign Mission Society first to a Maryknoll house ~n of America. "Maybe there's someMetairie, La., and, when that was By Antoinette Bosco one there I know." . sold, to his present home in ~s As we move' into the finl11 year Indeed there was. After some 5Q years he reencountered Father Leo Angeles. In addition to hi's rea ,- of the 20th century, I think social Melancon, a Fall River native who ing, he said, he has a large globe in scientists will have to focus attenhis room, using it to meditate on had been one of his ~ost,memora tion on a growing phenomenon: ble seminary professors, sweeten- ~~~~g:~~~~~ ~~~Sis workings the number of people who live ing the fact that his lectures were in alone. This used to be more common Several of his siblings still reside Latin by such attention-getting dein Fall River. A sister, Theona vices as leaping onto a desk or Sirois, 94 resides at the Jewish among older women, particularly climbing a radiafor pipe to empha- Home for the Aged, a brother, the widowed. But now the single size a point. Edward, is a member of St. Jean occupants ofapartments and homes "He never used a book or notes are all ages, from the late teens to for his lectures," recalled my hus- Baptiste parish, and a sister, Rhea more than 80. St. Pierre, 92, belongs to St. Anne Th' kt th d band. parish. Father Melancon last visitIS wee. wo 0 er women an Now 84, Father Melancon has ed the city in 1989. ~~- 0"",,g ~ l~el.r~ talklln abRoutl?~r mohthers , continued his lifelong habit of -, _ Ivmg a one. ea Izmg t at a ll study. Although visually handi""'·.....-...nree of us also lived alone, we capped, he is an omnivorous readasked, "Is there a better way?" er, aided by a machine that scans , •• • . _ A book just reached my desk printed material. enlarging and \-whichraises that same question. It projecting it onto a screen. I~ is titled "Living Longer, Living He says a private daily Mass, Better" and subtitled" Adventures Nov. 11 reading the daily pericopes on his 1910 Rev. A. Gomez da Silva "in Community Housing for Those screen or listening to'tapes of them Neves, 'Pastor, St. John Baptist, in the Second Half of Life" (Conbefore proceeding to a small chapel New Bedford tinuum)._ to pick up the liturgy at the offerNov. 12 Written by Jane Porcino, a tory. He knows the remainder .of 1924, Rev. James H. Looby, motherofsevenw~ohass'pentthe the Mass by heart, with the excep- Pastor, Sacred Heart, Taunton . I~st 20 years ~ol"k~g to Impr~ve tion of the communion and post1925~ Rev. Bem&uCBoylan, lIfe for people I.n mld- or late-hfe, communion prayers, which he Pastor, St. Joseph, FaILR~ the book d~talls the ~any. n.ew manages to read with the aid of a N 13 '. ~ adventures m commumty hvmg magnifying glass and a stI'ong light. , _ ov. . . now being explored. 1924, ,Rev. t~JS ~dY, The popular TV show, "Golden He is philosophical about his ._ Girls" has done a lot to dispel the impaired vision. "The, Lord lias Founder, St. LOUlS,~~ ' myth that shared 'housing arrangeNov•.t4. given me- a new challenge," he 1940, Rev.' FranciS J. Duffy, ments don't. work, says Mrs. Porsays. , He was born June 26, 1907, the' Founder, St. Mar)', South Dart- cino, explains, "People are looking for new forms offamily and intim10th in a family of 13, and entered mouth 1977, Rev. William A. Galvin, acy. They are searching for nurturthe Maryknoll community at age ing communities in their middle 15 after graduating from grammar Retired Pastor, Sacred Heart, Taun,and later years." school and taking some business ton courses. Nov. 15 Mrs. Porcino found that people Ordained in Rome Dec. 8,1932, 1939, Rev. Thomas F. LaRoche, are coming up with creative ways to ease the loneliness of solo living. he taught at the Maryknoll semi- Assistant, Sacred Heart, Taunton For example, a number of places 1943, Rev: Daniel E. Doran, nary from 1934 to 1944. then servadvocate intergenerational coming in Peru and Bolivia before Pastor, Immaculate Conception, munity living. One is a converted returning to the States to teach at N~rth Ea~n brownstone in Philadelphia, shared by its owner, 85-year old Maggie SALUTING Kuhn, founder ofthe Gray Panther Movement, with seven people of SENIORS different .ages.
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Fall RI·ve'"r Mar'yknoller is retired in Los Angeles
I neverjump offat an intersection when the light turns green for me; you can get killed that way. One crash of that kind for me and one driving class taught me this commandment: look left, right and left, counting three seconds, before moving. At night, when a car's headlights are blinding you, it's all right to flick your high beams on and off quickly to let the oncoming driver know you're in trouble. I used to worry about doing that, but it's now in the AAA course manual. These two tips are just a sample of countless lifesaving ideas you can pick up from these classes. Not all problem drivers are seniors, of course. They come in all ages, as the foJlowingquotations wiJl show. People involved in accidents are JlSkediD-eXplainwha t happened as .. briefly as possible on their insurance forms. Some had writing problems as well as driving difficulties. Look at these examples: "I I . d" ed saw a s ow-movmg, sa -lac old gentleman as he bounced off the roof of my car." "
.y BERNARD CASSERLY
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when] fell asleep at the wheel and had an accident." "A pedestrian 'hit me and went under my car." "Coming home Ldrove into the wrong house and collided with a tree 1 don't have." "I was on the way to the doctor with rear end trouble when my universal joint gave way, cauSing me to have an accident." "The pedestrian had no idea which direction to run. So I ran over him." "The indirect cause' of the accident was a little guy in a small car with a big mouth." "I was thrown from my car as it left the road. 1was later found, in a, ditch by some stray cows." These actual statements indicate a certain degree of confusion, to Theguywasalloverthero~d.I say the least, and it' makes me had to swerve a number of times wonder whether safe driving before I hit him." courses ought to be required for "I pulled away from the side of drivers of any age. I know from the road, glanced at my motber-inpersonal experience how valuable lawand headed over the embankthey are. Ask your insurance firm if the ment." "In my attempt to kill a fly, I mature driver classes are offered in your state. If they're not, ask your drove into a telephone pole." legislator. "I had been driving for 40 years
Creative alternatives to living alone
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. 3<. '\ t he anchOI\..Y
"We each have our own rooms and privacy. We also have common space to share, so we can be alone
Social Security 800 number is changed The Social Security-Administration (SSA) has changed its tollfree telephone number. The new number is 1-800-SSA-1213. - -Since its nationwide implementation two years ago, the 800 number service has become a popular option. Callers find that many requests can be handled easily, conveniently and expeditiously by phone, often at the time of the initial call. Studies show that mOTe than two-thirds ofthe 8()()..number callers prefer using the telephone over visiting a Social Security office in person. SSA also offers a telephone response unit that speeds processing of certain routine requests. Using a pushbutton telephone, one can request an application for a S"ocial Security number; obtain'a request form for a Personal Earnings and Benefit Estimate Statement; request written verification of the amount of Social Security or Supplemental Security Income payments; order publications; and li~ten to general information about Social, Security programs. With the assistance of a teleservice representative at the 800 number, callers can change mailing addresses, make appointments to apply fQr benefits, report missing checks, or ask questions on other matters. The 800 number service is available weekdays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., but the best times to call are early morning or late afternoon, Wednesday through Friday after the first week of the month.
or together," Ms. Kuhn says in the ,','book. Co-housing, a common concept in Scandinavia, is now a grassroots movement in the United States, writes Mrs. Porcino. She found about 30 co-housing groups in progress, mostly on the West Coast. ' They consist of 25 to 40 clustered homes, architecturally designed to create a sense of community. "Opportunities for social interaction and privacy are built in. Front patios face walkways, but bedrooms face private back yards.... In the center of the community is a shared common house." Retirement villages are increasing in popularity. And Elder Cottage Housing Opportunity produces prefabricated houses that can be put up in the backyard of an adult child's home for about $18,000, according to this book. "lntentional communities" are also gaining popularity. These are formed by groups of people who share Ii commitment to a common purpose and values, such as the Sirius Community in Massachusetts, based on spiritual values. I found a sense of hope in this book, that no matter what age you are you can still approach life with a sense of adventure. A lonely old age does not have to be one's bleak destiny, says the author, who has done a service by showing that there are alternatives.
"Making headway" ST. LOUIS (CNS) - The U.S. bishops' public relations campaign on pro-life issues is "making headway," according to Helen Alvan:, the bishops' national pro-life spokeswoman. Ms. Alvare was i~ terviewed in St. Louis during the Knights of Columbus' recent convention. The Knights have contributed more than $4 miIlion to the pro-life campaign.
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