WIXLIB

Hair Pieces: Senior WritersReflect on the Ups and Downsof Their HairstylesThese two essays were written by membersof the Hyde Park writing group, from anassignment called, “The History of YourHair.” The monthly workshop is taught byGrub Street instructors Kerrie Kempermanand Judah Leblang for seniors from HydePark, Jamaica Plain, and Mission Hill, whoparticipated in The Memoir Project. Readstories from all of the project participantsin Sometimes They Sang With Us, thethird book in the series, available fromThe Elderly Commission. The MemoirProject is currently teaching a workshopin the Allston-Brighton neighborhood, andwill offer another workshop in the fall,neighborhood to be determined. Contactthe Elderly Commission to find out whenAnd, that didn’t happen for the first tenyears of my life. I was an only child whowas compared to my first cousins on aregular basis. My grandmother Edie Kiltondeclared many times, “Real Kiltons don’thave straight hair and freckles.” As proof,I observed my cousin Priscilla’s fair skinand wavy chestnut brown hair. I enviedCousin Marjorie even more for she hadgolden ringlets, and a peaches and creamcomplexion.Early on, my mother and I struggledover my hair. She would take me to myfather’s barber and command: “Have thetip of the ear showing; shingle up the back;save enough for a little pigtail.” I objectedmost to the buzz of the razor on the backof my neck which sometimes caused nicksto my skin. One day I rebelled and wenttearing down Main Street smack into AuntThe Memoir Project is coming to yourLucy, a favorite relative, who mediated. Ineighborhood.did look forward to the final touch: a dusting- KKof talcum powder with a large soft brush atI Look Happiest When My Hair is CurlyBy: Alta Kilton McDonaldThe other day when I was reviewingthe back of my neck.On special occasions Mother wouldbraid up my pigtail, tie a wide satin ribbonmy childhood pictures, I realized that Iaround it, and make a futile attempt to uselooked happiest when my hair was curly.a curling iron on a few strands around myface. The curling iron had to be heated bySeniority 10

Continued from page 10placing it down the chimney of an antiquethe cold wave and the Tony home perm.kerosene lamp. Sometimes the odor ofA brilliant ad campaign featured identicalkerosene and the smell of burning hair weretwins. One had a salon perm; one had a homemore than I could bear. Another method wasperm. The caption read: “Which twin has theto produce curls by tying wet hair up withTony?” The resourceful women in my townrags. The rags, made out of torn-up sheets,started having Tony parties where we wouldwere between one and two inches wide. Yousit at the kitchen table and give one anothercould wear them while sleeping if you didn’tperms. Results varied, but it was so muchtie them too tight.better than the machine perm. By the time Istarted high school I had regular cold wavesWhen I was about nine years old,done at a beauty parlor.Mother took me for a machine permanentwave. At last I would have curly hair! TheI met my first real hair stylist in themachine had dangling octopus-type clipssummer of 1954 when I worked on Martha’swhich were heated and attached to rollersVineyard before my junior year at college.secured to my head with felt pads. WhatTo increase her referral base she gavetorture! The stench of perm lotion anddiscounts to waitresses at the major hotels.burning hair was a hundred times worseShe convinced me that I had the perfect facethan the curling iron/kerosene process. Thefor a pixie cut, which was short, straight,perm produced frizz that had to be managedand a little feathery. I was so pleased withby using wave set and either a combinationmy hair that I decided to have a whole newof metal curlers and wave clips or pin curlslook. I lost fifteen pounds and bought stylishsecured with a bobby pin. Even that wassportswear at an end-of-the season sale frommessy. The viscous aqua-colored wave setan Edgartown boutique.came in a thick glass bottle with an openingwide enough to insert a comb. The comb wasdunked into the bottle and dragged throughdamp hair. When the hair dried it was stiff butnot frizzy.Things got better with the advent ofAs a young adult I wandered along thecontinuum of permanents and stylish haircuts. By the time I was forty-five, divorcedand dating, I discovered that men admiredme as “that strawberry blonde.” It had neveroccurred to me to think of hair color as asset.11 Seniority

Continued from page 11My hairstylist friend, Eileen, sold me onmostly in pigtails. I was given all kinds ofhair color as a way to enhance my naturalpermanents—home ones, fuzzy ones, curlyred tones. She also showed me how to useones, body ones, and machine ones. Mymake-up to conceal my freckles. It tookaunt was a hairdresser and she scorched myforty years, but grandmother Edie couldneck with a machine permanent. She saidnow own me!it happened because I moved, but I movedTurning sixty years old broughtnew problems: thinning hair due to cancertreatment and chemical sensitivity. My lastonly after she hit my neck with the hot iron.The solution smelled like ammonia. I thinkthrough it all it made my hair thinner.Every night I set my hair in pin curls.perm had to be aborted when I developed asudden severe rash. It lasted several days.I would twirl the piece of hair with myI can no longer color my hair. One friendfinger and fasten it with a bobby pin. Theyscolded, “You really MUST do somethingwere called spit and twirl curls. As I gotabout your hair it used to be so pretty.”older, around my forties, it really got thin.My dermatologist gave me a pamphletPermanents no longer helped. For a while Ientitled “Rogaine for Women.” I decidedwore a human hair wiglet, also known as ato accept my hair as it is. I have returned tohair piece. It blended in with my own hair.the style of the summer of 1954; my hairIt had to be cleaned by the hair salon andis short, pixie-like and the tip of my earI would have to go without it for a coupleshows.days.Bio: Alta Kilton McDonald, a native ofAt the age I am now, I don’t haveMachiasport, Maine, is a retired socialmuch hair at all. My forehead is so high itworker who has lived in Jamaica Plain forruns across the middle of my scalp. I havethe past fourteen years.some hair in the back of my head, andI often think of letting it grow long andThe History of My HairBy: Maryalice BellewWhen I was younger my hairwas always very thin and fine. I wore itSeniority 12sweeping it to the front. I order my hairfrom a catalog. I’ve had people ask mewhere I have my hair done and I tell themsome place I don’t think they will go or that

Continued from page 12I get it from Paula Young catalog.My daughter had very thin hair as atoddler. The hairdresser told me to give her aI order the same style and color allwiffle and when it grows back to do it again.the time. It can get quite hot in the humidIt took all my courage to do it once. I wentweather. I now wear a wig liner underneathhome and drank a glass of beer and had it alland that helps. A few times it got caught oncut off. Everybody thought she was a boy. Ia tree branch or thorny bush. I was thankfuldidn’t do it again because I ran out of beer.nobody was around. I grabbed it quickly and She now has a nice head of hair. Her hairput it back on before anyone noticed whatwill never make history like mine.had happened. The wind hasn’t blown it offyet, but it sure can make it look messy. ItBio: Maryalice Bellew was born in 1933stands up all over my head like a free spikein Boston’s Hyde Park neighborhood andjob. Sometimes one wig will have shorterstill lives in the family home with her twohair on it and someone will always ask me if children. She is a retired secretary for theI had my hair cut. I tell them I washed it andchurch, and a former volunteer for theit shrunk. I’m thankful I am able to buy andBoston Public Schools and the Hyde Parkwear them.Food Pantry. She also paints and is an activemember of the Hyde Park Art Association.One time during an appointment withmy chiropractor, the doctor was working onby mistake and then he accidentally pulledThe Commission on Affairsof the Elderly is Coming toYOU-LIVE!off my wig. I sat there with my hearing aidBNN-TV Channel 9my neck when he pulled out my hearing aidin one hand and my wig in the other and justlaughed. He got up from the chair so fast hewas still in a sitting position when he ranout of the room. He was more embarrassedthan I was. The next time I went to him, Itold him everybody just laughed when I toldthem what happened.Boston Seniors CountLive Call-in Cable Television ShowThursday at 3:30 p.m.Repeated Sunday at 11:30 a.m.and Tuesday at 8:30 p.m.For more information callDeputy CommissionerTula Mahl, Producerat 617-635-192213 Seniority

Healthy, Wealthy & WyseBy: Geraldine C. Wyse, RNSprains, strains -The initial treatment for both strains andsprains is the same. You should rest theinjured area, ice at the site for 24 hours (20is there a difference?minutes on-off two hours), ace bandage orother devices that compresses the area, andSprainpain (and anti-inflammatory) medicine asA sprain is a stretched or torn ligament. needed.Ligaments are tissues that connect bonesat a joint. A fall, twist or if you are hit by aWhat if it is broken?car, can all cause a sprain. When you sudWhat if your fingers get numb ordenly “fall on your face” you may havepurple, or the site looks broken?an ankle or wrist strain trying to save your Call your doctor immediately. You may beteeth.told to go to the emergency room to getx-rays and be diagnosed by a specialist.Your symptoms may include: pain, swell- You may have broken bones and a cast ising, bruising at the site and you may be un- needed.able to move your ankle or wrist withoutcausing a great pain. You may even feel a After the swelling and pain go away and“pop” or tear at the injured site.when your possible cast is removed, youmay be advised to have physical therapyStrainfor a few weeks in order to get your musA strain is a stretched or torn muscle or cle tone back. It is a slow process to gettendon. Tendons are tissues that connect full use of your body again.muscle to bone. Twisting or pulling thesetissues can cause a strain. Strains can happen suddenly or they can develop over along period of time. Back and hamstringmuscle strains are common. People oftenFREEFREEdevelop strains while playing sports liketennis or golf. Even good athletic peoplecan develop strains.Your symptoms may be different thansprain injuries. Symptoms include: painat the site, muscle spasms, swelling andtrouble moving the muscle.Seniority 14Introductory computerclasses at Suffolk University.For more information callKate at 617-573-8251

www.EvercareHealthPlans.comYou’re independent, but not alone.We help seniors 65 who have MassHealth Standard to combineMedicare and Medicaid into one health plan with more benefits.We know that getting the care you need isn’t always easy. That’s why with Evercare Senior CareOptions (HMO SNP) you get all the benefits of Original Medicare and MassHealth Standard, plus more,in one simple plan. You also get access to a care manager to answer questions and help you get thecare you need. You don’t have to figure it out alone. We’re only a phone call away. 0 copay for dental checkups, cleanings,extractions, fillings, dentures and crowns 0 copay for prescription drugsRoutine eye exams, glasses andcorrective lenses once a yearRides to doctor appointmentsCall us toll-free at 1-877-808-1953, TTY 711Or visit our website at www.EvercareHealthPlans.com/MA SCOEvercare Senior Care Options (Evercare SCO) is available to people who are 65 and older. You must be entitledto Medicare Part A and enrolled in Medicare Part B and MassHealth Standard to enroll in our Medicare AdvantageSpecial Needs Plan. You also need to live in the service area. If you currently pay for a Part B premium, you must keeppaying it. Evercare SCO is a Coordinated Care plan with a Medicare Advantage contract and a contract with theCommonwealth of Massachusetts. To access benefits, you must have services provided or arranged by your primarycare team. These services must be received from providers in the Evercare SCO network. Evercare SCO is offered byUnitedHealth Insurance Company (UHIC). If you have MassHealth Standard, but you do not qualify for Medicare Part Aand/or Medicare Part B, you may still be eligible to enroll in a MassHealth Senior Care Options (SCO) plan offeredby UnitedHealthcare and receive all of your MassHealth benefits through our SCO program. Call our CustomerCare/Member Service/Customer Service department at 1-888-867-5511 TTY can call 711, 7 days a week, between8:00 am and 8:00 pm local time for additional information about the MassHealth SCO program. The benefit informationprovided herein is a brief summary, not a comprehensive description of benefits. For more information contact the plan.

Boston EMSThomas M. MeninoMayor of BostonDoDon’tDO drink lots of water and sport drinks.DO wear loose fitting, light weight, lightcolored clothing.DO check on elderly persons.DO use SPF 15 (or higher) sunblock andwear a hat.DO rest often in shady areas.DO go to an air conditioned place such as ashopping mall during severe heat.DO listen to the news and publicannouncements for heat advisories.DON’T underestimate the seriousness ofheat-related emergencies!DON’T leave children or pets unattended in avehicle.DON’T drink alcoholic or caffeinatedbeverages.DON’T stay in the hot weather if you feelsick.DON’T overexert yourself or work outsidewithout taking breaks.DON’T hesitate to call EMS and seek medicalattention!Heat StrokeVictim is often confused, disorientedSkin is often HOT, RED, DRYBody temperature is VERY HIGHHeat ExhaustionSkin is COOL, PALE, MOISTBody temperature near normalHeavy sweatingPossible headache, nausea, dizziness,vomitingWhat to do:Call 9-1-1 immediately.Move the victim to a cool location out of theheat.Lay victim on his or her back and elevatelegs.Remove/loosen clothing.Cool victim by fanning or applying coldpacks, wet sheets, or towels.What to do:Heat stroke is an immediate medicalemergency. Call 9-1-1.Move the victim to a cool location out of theheat.Place in front of a fan or in an airconditioned room.Place ice packs under armpits and groin.DO NOT give the victim ANYTHING to eat ordrink!Seniority 16EMERGENCY – EMS, Fire, PoliceDial 9-1-1

Do you want tobe on TV?Volunteer forRenew Boston and Boston RSVPYou’ve gained a lifetime of experience - Now is the time to put your skillsand talents to good use by volunteering through Boston RSVP.When you volunteer, you are not just helping others – you are helpingyourself and helping the environment by informing and educating Bostonresidents on this great program that can not only save them money, butalso reduces greenhouse gas emissions for our environment.If this opportunity is for you simply call Lourdes Lopez at 617-635-2713or email at Lourdes.Lopez@cityofboston.govSave Energy, Save MoneyThomas M. Menino, MayorBoston Fire DepartmentElderly Fire Safety ProgramFREEPhoto Electric Smoke Alarm andCarbon Monoxide Detectoravailable for owner occupiedsingle family homes/condosThe DON’T RETIRE, INSPIREshow invites you to share yourlife’s story with us andinspire others.How have you changed thecourse of your life?Survived in spite of yourselfor your situation?Come Share Your Story on TV If you are interested contact:Tula Mahl at 617-635-1922 oremail: tula.mahl@cityofboston.govDiscountedTAXI COUPONSat 1/2 Price- Buy 2 books each month -Restrictions ApplyCall 617-635-4366 to find alocation near you.TaxiFor more information please callErnie Deeb at 617-635-2359.You can also view our website onlineat www.cityofboston.gov/fire or visitthe Boston Fire Department onFacebook.

DON’T MISSThe Elderly CommissionOn The RadioTune into Zumix RadioWednesday at 2:00 p.m. & Mondayat 9:00 a.m. streaming on theinternet at www.zumix.orgWJIB 740 AM on Sundays at 7:30 a.m.For more information please contact:Deputy Commissioner Tula Mahlat 617-635-1922Volunteer OpportunitiesAt One Of Boston’s Premier Historic SitesCastle Island Association 617 268-8870 www.bostonfortindependence.comSeniority 18

7x4 5 8StutterAnnieGlennStuttering Didn’tKeep Her Grounded.Annie Glenn, wife of astronaut John Glenn, was groundedfor years by stuttering. Speech therapy and hard workturned it around. Today she speaks with confidence, grace,and strength.For more information on what you can do about stuttering,write, visit our web site, or call us toll-free.THESTUTTERINGFOUNDATION A Nonprofit OrganizationSince 1947—Helping Those Who Stutterwww.stutteringhelp.org800-992-93923100 Walnut Grove Road, Suite 603P.O. Box 11749 Memphis, TN 38111-0749BasketballSeniors over age 60 who are interested in playingBasketball are welcome to joinFor more information contact Ed Conway at (617)327-6831or send him an e-mail at edconway14@yahoo.comTangierino

Charlestown Pride LuncheonCheriton Grove CookoutFashion Show/Tea Party at Keystone Apartments

Hyde Park ReadingParade of SeniorsZelma Lacey Ice Cream Social

The Elderly Commission2011 Greater BostonSenior GamesMedalsBecome a Senior Games sponsor contact Michael McColgan at 617-635-4168Basketball Free Throw - Men – U-Mass Track & Field, May 14, 2011Age60-6465-6970-74GoldXuegin ShaoWanmin GinBao Chun Wang75-7980-84Xuanzhi LiHarold Jacobs/Baoyi XingZhuan Lin (Tie)Ren Zufan85-89SilverHuina Ouyan /Jiang Lu (Tie)Xin Zhang ChinGuo Lianmg Zhou/Yong ChangWang/Guo Zhi Luan (Tie)Sheng Wu ShenBronzeJin Cong ZhouZiyan WangBasketball Free Throw - Women – U-Mass Track & Field, May 14, 2011Age65-6970-7475-7985-89GoldPingying LiYouzhen ChenHui Ying LiuZiying QiuSilverMeitang Chin Li/Chenghui Su (Tie)Yingra XieHuafang YuBronzeFan Hong LiangYu Ying LiZhong Yang GuiBilliards - Men – Boston Bowl, Dorchester, May 13, 2011Age60-6970-80GoldMiguel TorresRichard CareySilverWillie BrowneVern MacEachernBronzeRobert SternGeorge SimmonsBilliards - Women – Boston Bowl, Dorchester, May 13, 2011Age70-80GoldHui YueBocce - Men and Women – Langone Park, North End, May 12, 2011Inter AgeTeamMember # 1Member # 2Member # 3Member # 4Tied for GoldBagarellasChelsea 3Ralph BagarellaJeanette BongiovanniBob HindmanNino BongiovanniSteve ToumaMary LimberakisJim TsouprakakisBill RobertsSilverWatertownJohn CardarelliLarry LeoneMarcello StisiJohn VesaBronze

When I heard about the Dignity Memorial network and how you can plan your own fi nal arrangements for free, I knew it was something I had to do. The Dignity Memorial network’s FREE Personal Planning Guide gives you everything you need, includ-ing valuable info