P. 20 Veterans helping veterans P. 12 NH mobile homes then and now
Granite
December 2023 / January 2024
A Bi-Monthly Dedicated to Senior Issues and Living
MERRY MOMENTS
Every day is Saturday By Robert Levey
Having spent the majority of his professional career working for small companies in southeastern New Hampshire in electronic controls design, Wolfeboro resident Robert Sterndale spends a lot of his time now outdoors enjoying nature and other people. In the winter his recreation plans often entail skiing. “Gunstock is a 30- to 40-minute drive from here,” he said. “They have
an unbelievable pass for people over 70, so it is easy to go in the morning and spend a couple of hours on the slopes there. I can also usually find friends who are going over there at the same time to ski.” Recently, Robert has also become involved with the Cotton Valley Trail Committee, which maintains a 12-mile-long walking/biking trail that begins in Wolfeboro and ends in Wakefield. CONTINUED ON PG 6
Beat the holiday blues By Curt Mackail
Maryrae showing her hand painted ornaments. Courtesy photo.
Christmas year-round By Betty Gagne
Maryrae Preston, in her own words, is “Christmas crazy.” Not only does she admit it, she’s very proud of it. The holiday is embedded in her soul, her essence and everywhere in her home. When most people are pulling down outdoor lights, vacuuming pine needles out of the carpet and putting away boxes of holiday items, Maryrae is still in full Christmas mode. She’s even found a way to keep Santa at the beach, but we’ll talk about that later.
Maryrae’s earliest memory of Christmas is from when she was probably 4 or 5 years old. “I grew up on Winnacunnet Road in Hampton, and the house had a front and a back stairway,” she said. “Mom and Dad would pile the gifts against the door so we’d have to go all the way around and through their bedroom to get to them.” Mom and Dad are none other than New Hampshire Sen. Robert Preston and his wife, Charlotte, and Maryrae is the baby of the family. CONTINUED ON PG 4
Lots of emotions are tied into the holidays. And they may run the gamut from feeling jolly to despondency. This is especially true for us seniors, as our stockpiled memories can stir up a sentimental stew of mixed feelings. Leading health care institutions like the University of California medical center and its UCI Health hospital warn of holiday and post-holiday depression in seniors. “We do see an increase in depression during this time for various reasons,” says geriatrician Dr. Manisha Perera, a clinician at UCI Health’s SeniorHealth Center. “Added to the stresses of daily life, the holidays create pressure on our time, finances and expectations of what the holidays should be.” Feeling blue is very common, the experts say, for a variety of reasons. Isolation, loss of loved ones, families who remain distant, per-
sonal health concerns or illness and modern norms for celebrating the holidays may contribute to emotional letdowns — sometimes minor, sometimes major. It’s not unusual for seniors to start to feel like there’s nothing exciting or special for us to enjoy anymore. Traditions we hold dear are one of the things that make holidays special. But as we see traditions fade with age, our happiness may fade too. About a quarter of all seniors will experience significant depression during the holiday season, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. And, according to the information research firm Statista, based on last year’s polling data, about a third of Americans say they feel under pressure to have a good time during the holidays. More than 70 percent said the true meaning of Christmas has been lost and there is far too much emphasis on spending money. CONTINUED ON PG 7