Stories from September, 2024
Stories from September, 2024
The Neighborhood Village, the first master-planned community in California to provide dignified homes, jobs and services for those experiencing chronic homelessness, will celebrate its grand opening on Thursday, September 26. Currently, one out of every four individuals who are homeless are 55 or older, and the number of homeless seniors is expected to increase, partly due to the high costs of housing and health care. Salt + Light's Neighborhood Village community, on West...
Since our last issue went to press, California Public Utilities Commission voted to allow residents to keep their landline phones, a critical communications tool in emergencies. Telecommunications giant AT&T had requested that the CPUC relieve AT&T of what is called its “Carrier of Last Resort” (COLR) obligations in certain areas of California, including the South Valley. The CPUC vote denies AT&T’s bid to drop landline service that includes free access to 9-1-1 and telephone relay service (for people with speech or...
The global electric wheelchair market was valued at $7.3 billion in 2023 and is anticipated to reach a valuation of $18 billion by 2032, an annual increase of 10.6% over the next eight years. The electric wheelchair market has seen significant developments and growth, with more than 10 million units currently in use around the globe. This surge is attributed to technological innovations and increased awareness about mobility solutions. A notable advancement is the enhancement...
On August 22, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved and granted emergency use authorization for updated mRNA COVID-19 vaccines to include a single component that corresponds to the Omicron variant KP.2 strain of SARS-CoV-2. The mRNA COVID-19 vaccines have been updated with this formula to more closely target currently circulating variants and provide better protection against serious consequences of COVID-19, including hospitalization and death. The FDA's...
Have you ever felt like no amount of coffee or rest can shake off your lingering exhaustion? Do you wake up from a full night's sleep and still find yourself dragging? If so, you might be dealing with more than just tiredness; you could be experiencing fatigue. Fatigue is not just a fleeting feeling of sleepiness - it's a deep-seated exhaustion that can impact your daily life and point to more serious health conditions. However, these feelings are often dismissed as simply...
In early July, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Kisunla (donanemab) for the treatment of people living with early symptomatic Alzheimer's disease, which includes mild cognitive impairment and the mild dementia stage of the disease, with confirmed amyloid plaques. Kisunla slowed cognitive and functional decline by up to 35% compared to placebo at 18 months in its pivotal Phase 3 study, and reduced participants' risk of progressing to the next clinical...
As you're turning over your closets, putting away your t-shirts, shorts and sundresses until next year, and bringing out the sweaters, you begin wondering how those fall clothes mysteriously got smaller over the winter. And then the realization hits: your New Year's resolution to exercise more and eat right has fallen by the wayside. It's all too common. According to recent research out of the Ohio State University, only 9% of Americans who make resolutions stick to them....
CDC has updated its recommendation for the use of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) vaccines in people ages 60 and older. For this upcoming respiratory virus season, CDC recommends: • Everyone ages 75 and older receive the RSV vaccine. • People ages 60–74 who are at increased risk of severe RSV, meaning they have certain chronic medical conditions, such as lung or heart disease, or they live in nursing homes, receive the RSV vaccine. This recommendation is for adults...
Alignment Health released its 2024 Social Threats to Aging Well in America survey on August 21, exploring the primary social and environmental factors, known as social determinants of health, preventing U.S. seniors from living healthier lives. In an online survey of more than 2,000 U.S. seniors ages 65 or older, aging in place (69%), lack of transportation and access to medical care (64%), and economic insecurity (56%) were the top three most-cited social barriers to their...
Tulare County Public Health has received a report of a human case of West Nile virus in a Tulare County resident. Public health officials urge residents to take precautions against mosquito bites, as mosquito samples positive for West Nile virus and St. Louis Encephalitis virus (SLEV) have been detected in multiple locations within the county. The two viruses are very similar and are transmitted by the same types of mosquitoes. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the West Nile virus is transmitted...
A summit convened by the Gerontological Society of America (GSA) has resulted in the identification of seven strategies for successful care of older adults with obesity. GSA outlines the recommendations in a new publication, Bringing Obesity Management to the Forefront of Care for Older Adults. This new publication expands the GSA library of resources on overweight and obesity, and supports The GSA KAER Toolkit for the Management of Obesity in Older Adults. The summit, held...
More than 60% of Americans feel they are in a better place to achieve their goals than generations that came before them, according to Schwab's eighth annual Modern Wealth Survey, an examination of how Americans think about saving, spending, investing and wealth. Boomers lead the charge, with 66% believing they are more or as likely as older generations to reach their goals, followed by Gen X (63%), Millennials (62%) and Gen Z (60%). One factor likely driving the positivity...
The Senior Citizens League (TSCL) estimates there will be a substantially lower cost-of-living-adjustment (COLA) for next year after the implementation of the 3.2% COLA in 2024. “The 2025 COLA prediction is about 2.57%, down from 2.63% last month,” said Alex Moore, TSCL statistician and managing partner at Blacksmith Professional Services. "Third-quarter numbers are very important because that's what's compared to the prior year's quarter to get the COLA." The rate of inflation, as measured by the Consumer Price Index...
Half (48%) of American adults report having been a victim or intended victim of financial exploitation in the past, according to a new report from AARP. While adults ages 18 to 49 are more likely than older adults to lose money from financial exploitation, older adults are more likely to lose larger amounts. "Over the past decade, criminals have become increasingly sophisticated, posing new risks to the hard-earned savings of American adults," said Jilenne Gunther, national...
Although we were contemporaries, I never met Wilma McDaniel and I very much regret that. I hadn't discovered San Joaquin Valley literature during those years - too busy working and raising a family, I guess. I acquired my first McDaniel book by accident in probably the late 1990s. It was a small hardcover publication called The Red Coffee Can. The Raggedy Ann doll artwork on the dustcover is what caught my attention. I thought it was a children's book, so without opening it,...
Delaware is the best state to retire in 2024 as Iowa, last year's number one, drops to ninth place, according to Bankrate's annual Best States to Retire Study. The study ranked all 50 U.S. states by affordability (40% of the ranking), overall well-being (25%), quality/cost of health care (20%), weather (10%) and crime (5%). Alaska held last place in both the 2023 and 2024 rankings. Bankrate's 2024 best states to retire are: 1. Delaware 2. West Virginia 3. Georgia 4. South...
Spend a few days in a waterfront town, vacation destination or golf community, and you may see local electric vehicles on neighborhood streets. The street-legal, low-speed vehicle category extends the fun, yet practical vehicles to suburbia and urban downtowns as the market for sustainable transportation grows. Low-speed vehicles (LSVs) offer a safe, efficient and enjoyable drive – especially when highway speeds and 300 miles of range aren't required for daily drives. What...
Plans are currently underway to celebrate fall with the annual Visalia Senior Center Fall Open House. The event, scheduled for Friday, October 18, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 310 N. Locust St., Visalia, will feature information tables, programs and a lunch. Attendance is free for guests of all ages. The Fall Open House is expected to include more than 40 local vendors, each hand-selected as an agency, program or business that offers vital resources for mature adults. "The...
Every year people over the age of 60 are bilked out of $28.3 billion in financial scams. There are people with nefarious intentions who use a variety of ways to try to scam money from older adults Here are just a few of those ways and the steps you can take to avoid being victimized: The Grandparent Scam In this scam, the victim is contacted by someone posing as a grandchild or other loved one, who claims to be in a precarious situation and needs money immediately. Their name might even show up on Caller ID. The stress of...
On Friday, September 20, the Kings County Commission on Aging will host this year's Senior Picnic at Burris Park, 6500 Clinton Ave., Kingsburg. The event, which will feature food, a cake walk, games, informational tables, a crazy hat contest and an Elvis performance, will run from from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The event is free, but there is a $3 suggested donation. For more information, call (559)...
On August 19, Quail Park on Cypress honored its five residents who turn 100 to 104 years old this year. Betty Lane (100), Bea Moring (100), Patricia Pope (100), Geraldine Soultz (104) and Ken Albert (100) were presented with certificates of recognition from the County of Tulare by Supervisor Amy Shuklian. These five honorees were also presented letters of recognition from the City of Visalia. Residents filled the room to celebrate this milestone, as well as to celebrate ten...
October is really when sweater season starts. We can still have many warm, or even hot, days; these are balanced by the shorter days and cooler nights. You may be noticing new foliage growth, or flowers on plants that have been snoozing during the summer heat. Planting October is a busy month for planting. In the vegetable garden, plant chard, spinach, turnips, beets, snow peas, carrots, cilantro, lettuce and Asian greens from seed. Continue planting seedlings of greens,...
Question: I am a senior and want to stay in my home for as long as I can. My daughter said there are too many hazards for me here. How can I live safer in my home? Your daughter is correct. What used to be a safe zone for you when you were younger can become extremely hazardous. As you age, your home should be someplace where you feel safe and secure. A 2014 study conducted by the Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention found that 28.7% of adults over 65 reported...
In honor of National Pickleball Day, the Trust for the National Mall and Humana have announced program details for the three-day monumental event, National Mall of Pickleball. The event celebrates America's most intergenerational sport September 27-29 on 11 temporary courts in the shadow of the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. The weekend is themed "One for the Ages," showcasing a new era of pickleball where multiple generations play together...
Susan Sarandon, Megan Mullally, Sheryl Lee Ralph and Bette Midler (pictured above left to right) who star in "The Fabulous Four," a comedy about a group of life-long friends, three of whom travel to Key West, Florida, to be bridesmaids in the surprise wedding of their best college girlfriend Marilyn (Midler). Over the course of one trip, sisterhoods are rekindled, the past resurfaces, and there are enough sparks, raunch and romance to change all their lives in unexpected...
The 23rd Annual Visalia Home Expo returns to the Visalia Convention Center on September 21-22 with an all-new assortment of home-related products and services. "Fall is a great time to consider redecorating and even remodeling before the onslaught of relatives arrives for the upcoming holidays," said Show Manager Steve Tarter. "This includes older children returning home from college, and older parents spending time with their grand and great-grand kids." There are a lot of...
The "Super Seniors" are a remarkable group of octogenarians and nonagenarians featured in a life-affirming documentary by tennis player turned Wimbledon commentator and TV presenter Dan Lobb. "Super Seniors" follows these inspiring athletes who refuse to retire their rackets: • 95-year-old Ukrainian Leonid Stanislavskyi, Guinness World Record holder as the oldest competitive tennis player in the world; • 82-year-old French fashionista and athlete extraordinaire Etty...
"The mini Volkswagen mobility scooters are more than just a way to get around," states Inspiring Designs on its website. "They're a testament to the fact that mobility aids can be fun, nostalgic and conversation-starting pieces. They definitely could be right... if their mini versions of the Volkswagen Van are actually available or even being manufactured. The company's website, which apparently offers a collection of similar vehicles, also has a collection of comments from...
Tulare and Kings County residents are encouraged to participate in the Alzheimer's Association's Walk to End Alzheimer's on Saturday October 5 at Valley Strong Ballpark, home of the Visalia Rawhide. "The Rawhide are ecstatic yet again to host the annual Walk to End Alzheimer's at Valley Strong Ballpark this year," said Markus Hagglund, the team's assistant general manager. "Great strides have been made in Alzheimer's research in recent years and that is due in large part to...
