Page 16 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, July 19, 2024 avavvyvy avvy S iorn oreniioor a avvy iori by Jim Miller A longtime Kitchen Ideas for Aging-in-Place Dear Savvy Senior, My 77-year-old mother, who loves to cook has had several kitchen-related accidents over the past year. What tips can you recommend for making a kitchen safer and more practical for seniors, without doing a big expensive remodel. Inquiring Daughter Dear Inquiring, There are a number of small improvements and simple modifi cations you can do that can make a big diff erence in making your mom’s kitchen safer and easier to maneuver. Depending on her needs, here are some tips for diff erent aspects of her kitchen. Lights: If the lighting in your mom’s kitchen needs improvement, replace the old overhead fi xture with a bright new ceiling light, and add LED lighting under upper kitchen cabinets to brighten up her kitchen countertops. Floors: If she has kitchen throw rugs, to reduce tripping or slipping, replace them with non-skid fl oor mats or consider gel mats, which are cushiony and more comfortable to stand on for long periods. GelPro.com and WellnessMats.com off er a nice selection. Cabinets and drawers: To reduce bending or reaching, organize your mom’s kitchen cabinets and drawers so that the items she most frequently uses are within comfortable reach. You can also make her lower cabinets and pantry easier to access by installing pullout shelves or lazy susans. And, by installing pull-down shelves in her upper cabinets (see Rev-a-shelf.com) so she doesn’t have to get on a stool to reach things on high shelves. I also recommend replacing her cabinet and drawer knobs with “D” or “C” shaped pull-handles because they’re more comfortable for arthritic hands to grasp than knobs. Faucet: If your mom has a twist-handle kitchen faucet, replace it with an ADA compliant single handle faucet, or with a touch, motion or digital smart faucet. They’re easier to operate, especially if she has hand arthritis or gripping problems. And, for safety purposes, set her hot water tank at 120 degrees to prevent possible water burns. Microwave and cooktop safety: If your mom’s microwave is mounted above her stove, consider moving it, or get her a small microwave for the countertop so she doesn’t have to reach over a cooktop to insert or remove food. And if you’re worried about your mom forgetting to turn off the stove there are automatic shutoff devices you can purchase and install to prevent a fi re. iGuardStove (iGuardFire.com) makes one of the best smart shutoff devices for gas and electric stoves. And to guard against microwave fi res, there’s the SmartMicro microwave shutoff made by Pioneering Technology (PioneeringTech.com). Shopping for Appliances If you’re looking to upgrade some of your mom’s appliances, here are some diff erent features to keep in mind. Refrigerator: French-door refrigerators that open in the middle are great for seniors because it makes it easier to see and reach what’s inside. Pullout adjustable height shelves and a water/ice dispenser on the outside of the door are also very convenient. Stove or cooktop: Look for one with controls in the front so your mom won’t have to reach over hot burners to turn it off , and make sure the controls are easy to see. Flat surface electric or induction burners, or continuous grates on gas stoves are also great for sliding heavy pots and pans from one burner to the next. And ask about automatic shut off burners. Oven: Self-cleaning ovens are a plus and consider a side-swing door model. They’re easier to get into because you don’t have to lean over a hot swing-down door. Also consider a wall-mounted oven, installed at your mom’s preferred height to eliminate bending. Dishwasher: Consider a drawer-style dishwasher that slides in and out for easier access and, if possible, have it installed on a raised platform 12 to 24 inches above fl oor level so it can be loaded and unloaded without bending over. Washer and dryer: Front-load washers and dryers with pedestals that raise the height around 24 inches are also back-savers and easier to access. 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. resident of Malden, formerly of Everett, passed away on July 13, 2024. She was 75 years old. Rosaria was the beloved mother of Carmella Simonelli and her husband Eddie, Amalia Spera, Anthony Spera, and Luciano Spera. She was the cherished grandmother of Anthony Spera, Dante Spera and his wife Thais, Jarred Spera and his wife Riva, Nico Simonelli, Samantha Porazinski, Aleksis Spera, and great grandmother of Dante Leo Spera, Jordan Simonelli and J.J. Simonelli. A funeral service was held at the A. J. Spadafora Funeral home, Malden on Thursday July 18th. Visiting hours were held at the funeral home on Wednesday. Interment will be in Holy Cross Cemetery, Malden. Christine Ann Teneriello Of Florida, formerly of Malden. Passed away July 13, 2024. The daughter of Joseph and Phyllis (Scacchi) Teneriello, Christine was born July 29, 1949 in Malden, where she was raised with her siblings. Christine attended Malden High School, graduating in BHRC | FROM PAGE 15 more girls and women to participate in the sports programming off ered at DCR-owned facilities.” QUOTABLE QUOTES – By The Numbers Edition Last week marked the 1-year anniversary of a bill signed into law in 2023 that allows undocumented/illegal immigrants to apply for a learner’s permit and Massachusetts standard driver’s license.The law requires an applicant “without legal presence” in the United States to provide the Registry of Motor Vehicles with a foreign passport and at least one of fi ve other documents: a driver's license from another state, a foreign driver's license, a birth certifi cate, a foreign national identifi - cation card or a marriage certifi - cate or divorce decree from any U.S. state. Here are the numbers: 183,825 ---Number of new learner’s permits issued from July 1, 2023 to July 1, 2024 -- an increase of 113,441 over the 70,384 issued in the same time period from July 1, 2022 to July 1, 2023. 128,075 ---Number of new driver’s liOBITUARIES Rosaria (DeLuca) Spera 1967, later going on to work for the City of Malden, the Malden Fire Department and HP Hood Dairy Co. In the 2000s, Christine, along with two friends, opened a successful thrift store called, "Finders Keepers" in Malden's Maplewood Square. During her free time, she enjoyed casino gaming, collecting rare coins and selling items on eBay. Chrisine was an avid tech user who enjoyed social media and participating in online political discussions. Christine was predeceased by her parents, Joseph and Phyllis Teneriello; brothers, Ralph (Chicky), Joseph (Snooky) and Robert (Red); sisters-in-law, Pat and Corrine Teneriello. She is survived by brother, Peter Teneriello; sister-in-law, Judy (Chang) Teneriello; and brother-in-law, James Leahy. Christine was the beloved aunt of and is survived by six nephews and three nieces, Joseph III, Ralph, Jr., Robert, Jr., Andrew, Thomas and Michael, Marion (Dunn), Maria (Forrestaire) and Carol (Neverett). She was the great-aunt and great-great-aunt to many as well. Visitation for Christine will be held at the Weir-MacCuish Funeral Home, 144 Salem Street, Malden, Sunday, July 21, from 4-8pm. Services for Christine will be held Monday, July 22, 10am, at St. Joseph's Church, in Malden, followed by Interment at Forest Dale Cemetery. censes issued from July 1, 2023 to July 1, 2024 -- an increase of $72,926 over the 55,149 issued in the same time period from July 1, 2022 to July 1, 2023 35 ---Number of languages in which people are tested to obtain learner’s permits. 100 ---Number of languages in which in-person and phone assistance is available. 250 ---Number of new employees hired to handle the thousands of additional applications for learner’s permits and driver’s licenses. HOW LONG WAS LAST WEEK’S SESSION? Beacon Hill Roll Call tracks the length of time that the House and Senate were in session each week. Many legislators say that legislative sessions are only one aspect of the Legislature’s job and that a lot of important work is done outside of the House and Sena er matters that are important to their districts. Critics say that the Legislature does not meet regularly or long enough to debate and vote in public view on the thousands of pieces of legislation that have been Dorothy (Halchuk) Rutledge A lifelong resident of Malden, passed away on Thursday, July 11th, at the age of 94. Dorothy was born in Boston in 1929, the daughter of Thomas and Dora Halchuk. She was raised in Malden and graduated from Malden High School with the Class of 1947. She went on to work as a Bookkeeper and Secretary for Stout Pontiac on Exchange Street in Malden. In 1954, she married her sweetheart, Paul D. Rutledge, and the two settled down together in Malden. A year later she retired to dedicate herself to raising the children. Dorothy and Paul shared nearly 50 years of marriage until Pauls passing in 2002. Dorothy was a past member of the YMCA Board of Directors, and in years past was active with the Housewives Bowling league. She is survived by her children, Paul J. Rutledge, of WV, Doreen Rutledge of Plymouth, Scott Rutledge of Saugus, and Brian Rutledge of CT, as well as 7 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren. In addition to her husband Paul D. Rutledge, Dorothy was preceded in death by her brothers, Joseph Halchuk and John Halchuk, and her sister Olga Greeley. Funeral services will be private. fi led. They note that the infrequency and brief length of sessions are misguided and lead to irresponsible late-night sessions and a mad rush to act on dozens of bills in the days immediately preceding the end of an annual session. During the week July 8-12. the House met for a total of four hours and 43 minutes and the Senate met for a total of twelve hours and 49 minutes. Mon. July 8 House11:01 a.m. to 11:10 a.m. Senate 11:16 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. Tues.July 9 No House session No Senate session Wed. July 10 House11:02 a.m. to2:50 p.m. No Senate session Thurs. July 11 House11:01 a.m. to 11:47 a.m. Senate 11:01 a.m. to 11:46 p.m. Fri. July 12 No House session No Senate session Bob Katzen welcomes feedback at bob@beaconhillrollcall.com Bob founded Beacon Hill Roll Call in 1975 and was inducted into the New England Newspaper and Press Association (NENPA) Hall of Fame in 2019.
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