Travel, Leisure & Fun for South Valley Adults
Travel, Leisure & Fun for South Valley Adults
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(This is the fourth in a series of articles from the Tulare County Health & Human Services Agency about supportive services for local seniors to appear in The Good Life.) Do you know someone aged 65 or older who needs help at home? The Multipurpose Senior Services Program (MSSP) is a resource in Tulare and Kings Counties that provides social and health care management services to help older adults remain in their homes and communities. To be eligible for MSSP, individuals must be 65 years of age or older, be eligible for...
A rug not fastened to the floor. A slippery surface in the bathroom. A small pet running around. Each of those are common in the homes of many older adults, and all are among the hazards that can lead to falls by seniors. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), every year 36 million older adults suffer a fall, which is a leading cause of injuries among those 65 and older. Many falls occur in the home, a place where older adults might let their guard down. But taking just a few minutes to scan the...
I am a 73-year-old woman who just lost her husband of 50 years, and I am having a difficult time getting up in the morning. My children say that anxiety, stress and grief can be harmful to my health, is that true? YES! Many aging adults come face to face with changes such as loneliness and isolation once a spouse dies. It can cause stress, depression, anxiety and grief. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) sees loneliness as a serious public health risk affecting a significant number of people in the United...
The Aging Network California will host the Inaugural Professional Summit for senior living professionals on August 22 in Visalia. The goal of the event is to inspire, encourage and equip professionals with practical tools and expert insights to reach new heights in their personal and professional lives. The keynote speaker will be Melanie Warner, author of Defining Moments. Other featured speakers include Cindy Ames and Danny Hill who will share their insights on shifting mindsets, achieving success through laughter and...
The NorthPointe Community Church Elder Care Ministry and AgeWell Fresno have partnered to bring a free Education Summit & Senior Resource Fair proclaimed “All Things New” to the Fresno campus of NorthPointe Community Church on Saturday, May 6, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Education Summit will present three speakers, each on a subject that is practical, relational and inspirational. Sally Westlake of the California Department of Finance & Innovation will speak on protecting yourself from electronic fraud. Douglas E. Noll, J.D...
If you’re like me, you’ve had enough of being cooped up with the cold, winter weather, and are chomping at the bit to get outside and enjoy the spring sunshine! But a note of caution – while we’re out there frolicking in the beautiful spring weather, let’s remember to be mindful that just about everybody likes the springtime – even scammers! Yes, even scammers. And most recently, their fraudulent schemes are targeting seniors outdoors – in parking lots. So, let’s educate ourselves, and take a look at what some popular parking...
As Mental Health Awareness Month, May is a time to raise awareness of and reduce the stigma surrounding behavioral health issues, as well as highlight how mental illness can affect all of us – patients, providers, families and society at large. A local program is about to celebrate its tenth year of providing residents with a unique approach to coping with the struggles of mental illness. And while it is open to anyone ages 18 and up, most of the participants are over the a...
(This is the second in a series of articles about supportive services for local seniors that will appear in The Good Life.) The In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) Program provides services to eligible individuals over the age of 65, the blind and the disabled. The goal of the IHSS program is to allow persons to remain safely in their own homes and avoid the need for out-of-home care, such as a nursing home. "Currently, we have about 6,700 consumers on the program," said...
I live in Tulare and I am a Caregiver. I don’t have time to travel to Visalia for your Caregiver/Dementia In-Person Support group. When will you be having a Support group in Tulare? Finding a location in Tulare for an In-Person Caregiver/Dementia support group brought many challenges for us in the past few years. Alas, we have found a location. The First Baptist Church, located at 469 N. Cherry St., Tulare is allowing us to start our monthly support groups on the third Thursday of the month from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. We w...
Questions: I always get depressed before, during and after the holidays. My husband passed away and my children live out of the area. Is it normal to feel this way even after the New Year? Holiday traditions and memories are very deep in our hearts. Memories of times gone by can bring up both the good and bad times that we have experienced. It is especially difficult if you are spending a lot of time in the home where those memories occurred. The home that was once filled with...
(This is the first in a series of articles about supportive services for local seniors that will appear in The Good Life.) The Kings/Tulare Area Agency on Aging (K/T AAA), Adult Services Division provides services that support the local older adult population. Every year, at least 1,000 older adults seek information related to needs that are considered "supportive services." These services are designed to support independence and health for the most vulnerable community...
The Heart of Seniors Expo & Fashion Show, hosted by the Senior Coalition, will be held on Thursday, February 16, at the Visalia Wyndham Hotel, 9000 W. Airport Dr., Visalia. The event will include a vital resource fair with vendors, a fashion show – featuring senior models escorted by American Ambulance team members – and a luncheon. The resource fair opens at 9:30 a.m., with the program beginning at 10:30 a.m. Tickets are available for $10 per person, which includes lun...
March was the first month of the year in the original Roman calendar. That feels right to me. March is a month of flowers and growth, the first full month in which almost everything in the garden is bursting with energy. Even the weather gets in on this act. March may be hot, cold, dry, snowy, rainy or windy. The vernal equinox is March 20, when the sun is above the equator and begins its travels north, closer to us. PLANTING: Spring is the second season of major planting....
Autumn is in full gear this month. This is a great time to plant almost any tree, shrub, perennial, ground cover, wildflower seeds and the last of spring-flowering bulbs. While the days are shorter and storms may affect our ability to work outdoors, it is generally more pleasant both for us and the plants, as long as we follow some simple guidelines. Planting This is an especially good month to plant those California and Mediterranean woody shrubs that don't thrive with too mu...
Going home for the holidays can mean reconnecting with loved ones and enjoying the spirit of the season. For many people, if they live away from their family and don’t see them often, it can also be a time of anxiety if the health of their parents or older loved ones has deteriorated since their last visit. Whether it’s more difficulty with day-to-day tasks, issues with mobility or signs of memory decline, it can be a bittersweet time of year for family members who notice changes in their loved one. Of course, the que...
My friend’s mother is staying in her home with in-home care 24 hours a day. Is this more expensive than living at an assisted living community? Licensed and bonded in-home care agencies cost between $26 and $38 per hour. If someone needs a caregiver for 24 hours a day, then it could cost anywhere from $18,720 to $27,360 a month. Assisted livings provide 24-hour care to residents at a fraction of that cost. Included in the rent of assisted livings are meals, utilities, social activities, housekeeping, cable and maintenance. M...
Homebound senior citizens, who often do not have friends or family visit them during the holidays, will receive a stocking filled with donated cold-weather comfort items during the annual Kings/Tulare Area Agency on Aging (K/T AAA) Stockings for Senior Citizens drive. Through November 29, Tulare County businesses, community partners and residents are invited to donate cold-weather comfort items such as slippers, socks, gloves, scarves, beanies and lap blankets in drop-off boxes such as the one pictured. For donation drop-off...
In the July 2020 issue of The Good Life, we reported that, "South Valley fans of singers such as Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Elvis Presley will soon have a 'new' station to turn to on their radios." This month, Fritz Ashauer, the owner of the station, KZKC 89.9FM in Kettleman City, finally plans to move his 10-kilowatt transmitter "100 yards up the hill in Avenal." Moving the transmitter will allow his station to broadcast to "Fresno, Visalia, Bakersfield and all those...
Question: I have a dear friend who is the caregiver of her mother who has dementia. My friend is angry and frustrated all the time. How can I help her? People who are caregiving for a loved one with dementia go through great emotional and physical strain. It starts off very slight. At first their loved one just needs simple reminders to take medication or to shower, however, as the caregiver goes through greater dementia needs of their loved one, it becomes overwhelming. Famil...
While May can bring a mix of warm and cool weather, June typically means hot and dry, with occasional drops in temperature. Without adequate snowpack and rainfall this winter and spring, we are in another drought year, but we know how to keep our gardens healthy and growing with water-efficient practices and low-water-use plants. Our gardens will get through this drought cycle too. We may even be surprised, as in the last drought, how well some of our established garden plants...
Question: Why do I see some people not wearing masks and gathering in places while we have a COVID virus? COVID has taken a dramatic decline in recent weeks. Kaweah Health Hospital posted, as of April 13, that they only had eight in the hospital with COVID and none in the ICU. More and more seniors are finally feeling comfortable coming out of their isolation. Churches are now open, senior centers are starting to have gatherings throughout the nation. A record number of seniors are now taking this opportunity to move into...
Tulare and Kings County residents are invited to participate in the Alzheimer's Association's Walk to End Alzheimer's on Saturday, October 1, at Mooney Grove Park in Visalia. This year's walk date was confirmed much earlier than in recent years, when the pandemic created uncertainty, as well as other challenges. "The last couple of years have helped us handle whatever the pandemic looks like this fall," said Amanda Valenzuela, development manager of the Alzheimer's...
Question: I am a veteran and served during a period of war, are there any benefits to help me with assisted living costs? First, I would like to thank you for your service! Millions of honorably discharged veterans and their families are not aware of a little-known benefit called Veterans Aide and Attendance. This benefit can help veterans and their spouses pay for in-home care, and assisted living facility or nursing home care. It pays up to $2,169 a month, in addition to the monthly pension benefits. To qualify, you must...
On January 27, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced the expansion of the department's existing program to protect California's most vulnerable citizens and safeguard the state's Medicaid program (Medi-Cal). In response to significant increases in Medi-Cal enrollment and the increased need to protect elders and nursing home residents during the COVID-19 pandemic, Becerra directed additional resources toward the California Department of Justice's Bureau of...
The Newsom Administration has announced the release of California’s first-ever Master Plan for Aging, a comprehensive framework that will prepare the state for significant demographic changes in the years ahead, including the growth of the 60-and-over population to 10.8 million people by 2030. The Master Plan’s development began with an executive order from the governor in June 2019, directing the secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency to develop a strategy for promoting the health and well-being of olde...