Travel, Leisure & Fun for South Valley Adults
Travel, Leisure & Fun for South Valley Adults
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Every year, thousands of people become victims of holiday scams. Scammers can rob you of hard-earned money, personal information and, at the very least, a festive mood. According to the Internet Crime Complaint Center, non-payment or non-delivery scams cost people more than $337 million. Credit card fraud accounted for another $173 million in losses. Also this time of year, beware of auction fraud, where a product is misrepresented on an auction site, and gift card fraud, when a seller asks you to pay with a pre-paid card....
In the new movie "Jules," Milton (played by Academy Award-winner Sir Ben Kingsley) is a small-town senior with a fading memory who leads a quiet life of routine in western Pennsylvania, until late one night when a loud boom wakes him from sleep. The next morning, he finds that an extraterrestrial spacecraft has crash landed in his backyard, destroying his birdbath and stranding its alien pilot. Milton invites the alien (Jade Quon) into his home, and the two - each one...
On April 18, 1852, a small wagon train of settlers left Red Rock, Iowa heading west. They traveled for several months, arrived in California, and in the fall they camped on a fertile forested piece of land that would become the town of Visalia. Led by three brothers - Osee, Warren, and Reuben Matthews, the group was looking for a home, preferably one that could turn into a new town. The Matthews family had experience with grist or grain mills, and these millers were anxious...
Adventist Health is improving healthcare in Tulare with an advanced MRI and medical imaging space. The equipment began serving patients in late August. The ribbon-cutting was held on September 6 at Adventist Health Tulare, 869 N. Cherry St. MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, uses strong magnetic fields and radio waves to create an image of the body, and the new Tulare MRI leverages artificial intelligence to enhance patient comfort and image quality. Healthcare providers orde...
Tulare County has been seeing an increase in COVID-19 activity in late summer/early fall, according to Dr. Sharon Minnick, senior epidemiologist, Tulare County Public Health. "As of late September, the variants that seem to be increasing the most are EG.5 (Eris) and XBB.1.16 (Arcturus), but these have both been found in California all summer," she said. "Historically, large surges have been associated with the sudden rise of a brand new variant, which is very hard to...
As we approach the holiday season, people are hitting the road or taking to the skies to visit family. Maybe it's just been a few months, or maybe it's been since this time last year that you, a sibling or another relative last saw an aging loved one. But it's common at this time of year for family members to notice drastic changes in a parent, family member or other loved one since the last time they'd been together. If you live with or near a loved one and see them...
Frustrated by the racks of birthday card options that mock older adults as weak, deaf, forgetful and crabby, the anti-ageism group Changing the Narrative is making birthday card shopping empowering and uplifting, producing "age-positive" cards that celebrate aging and honor the recipients. A contest attracting sub-missions from professional greeting card designers from around the country resulted in 10 winning birthday cards - all designed by women, several by women of color...
I am looking into moving to a Senior Independent/Assisted Living community. Does insurance pay for it? Independent living and assisted living communities in Tulare County are private pay. If you were wise enough to get a long-term care insurance policy that includes residential care facilities, it will help you pay the assisted living fees. Long-term care insurance policies are purchased separately from health insurance and have hefty premiums, but they are life savers when...
When you sit around in your empty nests, the kids long flown away, your career drawing to a close and thinking about a retirement plan, it's natural to take a long, hard look at your life. Now that your life no longer revolves around chasing goals and checking items off to-do lists, you may finally have the time to take stock of the hits and misses. In these moments of introspection, a lot of couples realize that they have been stuck in an unfulfilling relationship for far...
With the rise in popularity and adoption of artificial intelligence tools, it is easier than ever to manipulate images, videos and, perhaps most disturbingly, the voices of friends and family members. "Advanced artificial intelligence tools are changing the game for cybercriminals," said Steve Grobman, chief technology officer for McAfee, a company that offers online protection. "Now, with very little effort, they can clone a person's voice and deceive a close contact into...
Tulare County Parks has launched its Parks Sponsorship Programs, as part of its Parks Strategic Outreach Plan. The goal is to transform local parks into vibrant hubs of community activity and environmental stewardship. The plan includes a memorial tree and bench program, which offers the opportunity to remember a loved one. Other sponsorship opportunities, fundraising events and clean-up initiatives include a corporate sponsorship program, an individual membership program,...
Kaweah Health Hospice is observing November as National Hospice Month. For nearly 40 years, the hospice has been delivering end-of-life services in Tulare and Kings Counties, serving adult and pediatric patients. The care provided by Kaweah Health Hospice is not confined to a specific location, instead extending to wherever a patient calls home – their residence, skilled nursing facility, residential care facility or assisted living centers. Kaweah Health Hospice's mission i...
"We are serving the senior community," said Lester Moon about Hands in the Community (HNC), the charitable organization he founded over 15 years ago. "Ninety-five percent of our clientele are seniors," he said, adding that HNC does a wide range of tasks for them, including building ramps, performing household repairs, painting homes, building fences and providing rides. "We're the only place these people have to go," said Moon. "We don't charge for services." HNC holds...
Boston College's Center for Retirement Research published a study that explores what Americans think are the biggest risks to their retirement - as opposed to what they objectively are. The center found "a big disconnect between how actual and perceived risks are ranked." That disconnect could be hurting people's retirement planning. The study says the biggest risk to retirement is longevity - living so long that we run out of money. But the survey found that the biggest...
On September 15, the California legislature passed SB 525, a bill that will give more than 400,000 healthcare workers the first $25 per hour minimum wage in the country. Staff in hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, dialysis clinics and community clinics will receive the pay increase. Governor Gavin Newsom signed the bill into law on October 13. The SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West, a healthcare justice union of more than 100,000 healthcare workers, patients and...
The holiday season is a joyous time for many. Families gather to celebrate, spend time together, and look forward to the new year. This time of year can be difficult, though, for homebound senior citizens experiencing isolation, with limited resources and support. To add a little holiday cheer to their lives, these seniors will receive a stocking filled with donated cold-weather items and hygiene products during the annual Kings/Tulare Area Agency on Aging (KT AAA) Stockings...
Reaching your 100th birthday is a tremendous milestone worth celebrating, and on October 3 the Tulare County Board of Supervisors recognized local centenarians for achieving this monumental milestone and proclaimed Centenarian Day in Tulare County. To celebrate their lives, legacy and longevity, the County Supervisors held a special ceremony ahead of their regular board meeting to pay tribute to Tulare County's oldest seniors - residents who are at least 100 years old. Last...
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced that average premiums, benefits and plan choices for Medicare Advantage and the Medicare Part D prescription drug program will remain stable in 2024. Improvements adopted in the 2024 Rate Announcement, as well as the 2024 Medicare Advantage and Part D Final Rule support this stability. CMS works to ensure these programs work for people enrolled in Medicare, that benefits remain strong and stable, and that...
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has a benefit called Housing Grants for Disabled Veterans. It is a two-part program that includes the Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) Grant and the Special Housing Adaptation (SHA) Grant. These programs provide grants to servicemembers and veterans with certain permanent and total, service-connected disabilities to either help purchase or construct an adapted home or to modify an existing home to accommodate a disability. This column wil...
The World War II Greatest Generation Mural on South Mooney Blvd. in Visalia will be unveiled on Veterans Day, Saturday, November 11. The mural has been a landmark in Visalia since its dedication on Veterans Day 2006. Unfortunately, time and weather left the mural in bad shape. Many of the panels that the art is displayed on needed to be restored, repaired and remounted. The Visalia Veterans Committee, comprised of veterans groups including American Legion Posts 18 and 785,...
Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits for more than 71 million Americans will increase 3.2% in 2024, the Social Security Administration announced on October 12. On average, Social Security retirement benefits will increase by more than $50 per month starting in January. More than 66 million Social Security beneficiaries will see the 3.2% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) beginning in January 2024. Increased payments to approximately 7.5 million people receiving SSI will begin on December 29. (Some...
The Kings/Tulare Master Plan for Aging Advisory Committee presented its findings to the receptive crowd that filled the room at the Wyndham Visalia Hotel on October 19th. Committee members included people representing various organizations, non-profits, governmental and county agencies, and county officials committed to improving resources and services for older adults in both counties. The committee had been given the task of developing a "Rural Master Plan on Aging" to...
The City of Visalia Parks and Recreation Department is ready for the 2023 Visalia Senior Games to begin over the weekend of November 4-5. The games will be the first since the pandemic. This year's games will offer competitions in pickleball and table tennis. Registration closed on October 20, and competitions in archery and disc golf were cancelled due to low registration numbers, according to Eric Ferreira, recreation coordinator for the City of Visalia Parks & Recreation...