SENIOR SCENE: Presentation by musician Jack Wheaton

By Terrie Litwin

Executive director, Rancho Santa Fe Senior Center

Please join us at the Senior Center on Friday, Nov. 5, at 2 p.m., for Dr. Jack Wheaton’s humorous presentation “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Gig.”

Dr. Wheaton is a career pianist, arranger/composer, author and teacher. He has been collecting humorous stories from the fascinating world of music and musicians for years. In addition to his own experiences, he draws upon incidents in his father’s life (he was also a well known musician) and the world of music encountered by his son Dana and grandson Sean. Dr. Wheaton plans to include these anecdotes in a forthcoming book.

Taking Control: Healthcare Decision Making

Conversations around what kinds of treatments a person wants when they are unable to speak for themselves can be very difficult for many reasons. Having these conversations can be vital to an individual’s or family’s emotional and spiritual well-being when the time comes to make important decisions about healthcare. Advance Medical Directives refer to documents describing your treatment preferences in the event you cannot speak for yourself. A health care proxy form names a surrogate decision maker to act on your behalf.

On Friday, Nov. 12 at 10 a.m., Kathleen DeLeo, MSW, MPH, and April Bird, MDiv, will present valuable information on this important topic. Kathleen DeLeo has many years of experience working with seniors and providing education about hospice services. She received her master’s degree in Social Work and Public Health with a specialty in gerontology from Boston University. April Bird has a Master’s Degree in Divinity and six years of hospice experience providing care to patients and families dealing with spiritual and emotional issues unique to terminally ill individuals. She received her Master of Divinity from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas with core studies in pastoral care and counseling.