Travel, Leisure & Fun for South Valley Adults
Travel, Leisure & Fun for South Valley Adults
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Tulare County will be commemorating World Elder Abuse Awareness Day on June 15, but there will be no in-person events this year due to existing precautions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Kings County District Attorney's Office also has no in-person events planned. "As an office, we hope to start doing in-person bilingual awareness and educational events soon," said Nicole Burnham, Tulare County District Attorney (TCDA) elder abuse victim advocate. "Even though we ar...
To better reflect the wide range of health services it offers to residents in Tulare and Kings counties, Kaweah Delta became Kaweah Health on May 1st. The largest acute care hospital and the only trauma center between Bakersfield and Fresno announced that it completed an extensive rebranding initiative that includes a new name, a new logo and an updated website. “It’s the perfect time to reinvent, to redefine, to modernize and to distinguish ourselves as much more than a hospital or a medical center,” said Gary Herbst, Kawea...
In 2020, the Tulare County District Attorney utilized a Governor's Office of Emergency Services grant to advocate and assist victims of elder abuse. The $190,000 grant fully funded two victim advocates, one of whom is bilingual, who work with victims through the court process, train caretakers and community members on elder abuse, and create awareness of the crime. The grant also funds a yearly television and radio anti-abuse campaign, and associated materials for community...
While the rest of the world battled COVID-19, Town Meadows was more than lobby deep in a massive renovation project at the senior residential apartment complex in downtown Visalia. Today, with just a few tweaks remaining, the over-$7 million project catapults the multi-story building past what many would think of when it comes to low income residential housing. "I think it's very nice. The common areas are beautiful," said Betty Giles, an 89-year-old who has lived at Town...
Volunteers from Kings County agencies were busy in June with projects to mark Elder Abuse Awareness Month. Pinwheel gardens were planted throughout Kings County. Pinwheels and banners were placed on display at the Hanford Library, Stratford Library, Stratford Fire Department, and Fleet and Family Services. "We also have banners and pinwheel gardens at City of Avenal, Hacienda Post Acute, Corcoran City Park, Kings County Commission on Aging and Kings County Human Services...
The Alzheimer's Association is inviting Tulare and Kings County residents to join the fight to end Alzheimer's by participating in the 2021 Alzheimer's Association Walk to End Alzheimer's. "We're moving forward with plans to host Walk to End Alzheimer's in person this fall," reported Amanda Valenzuela, development manager of the Alzheimer's Association's California Southland Chapter. "The health and safety of our participants, staff and volunteers remain our top priorities as...
It seems that things are changing and that life is getting back to normal following the lifting of the state mask mandate last month. There is one constant in recent months, however – there continue to be mixed messages about how much has actually gotten back to normal. Local senior centers are waiting for city and county officials to give them a green light before they open their doors. "We are awaiting new guidance from public health officials in order to determine when w...
June is World Elder Abuse Awareness Month and Tulare County Health & Human Services Agency (HHSA) participated by encouraging community members to wear purple on World Elder Abuse Awareness Day on June 15. Purple promotes a better understanding of abuse and neglect of older persons by raising awareness of the cultural, social, economic and demographic processes affecting elder abuse and neglect. On June 1, Tulare County HHSA came together with community leaders to bring...
Every other person in the world is believed to hold ageist attitudes, leading to poorer physical and mental health and reduced quality of life for older persons and costing societies billions of dollars each year, according to a new United Nations report on ageism. The report released on March 18 by the World Health Organization (WHO) Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs and United Nations Population Fund,...
(This article is presented as a warning to our readers who ride motorized scooters.) On March 17, a 72-year-old disabled Vietnam Veteran parked his motorized scooter at the Veterans Memorial Hall in Orosi and then walked to McDonald's. According to the Tulare County Sheriff's Office (TCSO), while he was gone, 35-year-old Tina Guererro rode by on a bicycle and spotted the veteran's scooter. She left, then came back with a friend and took the scooter. When the veteran returned...
Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.); and Reps. Brian Higgins (D-N.Y.), Darin LaHood (R-Ill.), Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.), and Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) have introduced the Comprehensive Care for Alzheimer's Act, which seeks to address shortcomings in the way dementia care is delivered. Providing care for an individual living with dementia involves many unique and often challenging elements. Individuals and caregivers have to deal with primary care doctors and specialists, as well as with medication...
On April 5, Kaweah Delta held a grand opening for its new Tulare Health Clinic, which will provide access to care in one of the most clinically underserved counties in California. The new 10,800-square-foot clinic is located at 1000 N. Mooney Blvd. in Tulare, the former IRS building on the corner of Prosperity Avenue and Mooney Boulevard. It has 20 exam rooms, a lab onsite for patients, and three behavioral health rooms for therapy, psychiatry and eventually, child psychiatry....
You could sense the concern in Sabrina Jimenez' voice as she spoke. "Most people aren't familiar with hospice and all that it has to offer," she said. "Most people don't talk about end-of-life care until they need it, or they are put in a position to make a medical decision for a loved one." But the executive director of the Open Arms House in Visalia aims to change that, especially now that the six-bed home tucked away in a Central Visalia neighborhood has reopened its doors...
With COVID-19 vaccines now readily available in Tulare and Kings counties, and most seniors in the two counties having been vaccinated, life is slowly getting back to normal in the South Valley. COVID-19 is still causing many events for local seniors to be cancelled or postponed, but things are starting to change. Senior Resource Expo After the cancellation of last year's event, the 2021 Senior Resource Expo will be held at Tulare Community Church, 1820 N. Gem St., Tulare,...
They cannot wear face masks. They do not understand social distancing. They would not be able to remember to take their temperature if they tried. Even the names of their spouses and their children sometimes escape them. They are the silent victims of COVID-19 and in California, there are 690,000 of them – men and women over the age of 65 with Alzheimer's and dementia. Those who take care of them say the pandemic, specifically shelter-in-place orders, have caused physical a...
Through executive order, Governor Gavin Newsom temporarily waived the California law requiring drivers age 70 and older to visit a DMV field office to renew their license for the length of California’s state of emergency. or until modified. The DMV previously provided yearlong extensions to senior drivers with noncommercial licenses expiring during the pandemic. Those who received the extensions are now eligible to renew online. The DMV previously allowed drivers 69 and under to renew online, even if their notification s...
The County of Tulare urges community members to be aware that instances of scammers going door-to-door with fraudulent COVID-19 tests have been reported in Tulare County. Fraudsters may be asking individuals for credit card information or to pay for the fraudulent test out-of-pocket, in addition to gathering other private information, which may then be used for identity theft. Scammers may even use social media platforms, telemarketing calls, or text messages to gather this...
The National Council on Aging (NCOA) has launched BuscaBeneficios.org, a free, confidential Spanish-language online tool to connect Hispanic seniors to billions of dollars in federal, state, local and private benefits to pay for daily expenses. The search engine is modeled after NCOA's BenefitsCheckUp, which has helped millions of older adults find billions of dollars in benefits to pay for food, medicine, utilities and more. "Every person deserves the resources to age with di...
"The vaccine is our dawn. It's the warm sun finally rising over the horizon and giving us hope," said Gary Herbst, CEO of Kaweah Delta. "I just wish it was in larger quantities sooner so we could begin inoculating a much larger percentage of our population and really start developing that widespread immunity." On December 18, Kaweah Delta Medical Center began vaccinating healthcare workers at highest risk of exposure to COVID-19. Dr. Wally Huynh, an internal medicine...
Despite COVID precautions hampering a number of outreach and court operations this year, the Tulare County District Attorney's Office reinforced its Elder Abuse Team and is in a strong position for continued support of seniors in 2021. "There is no greater time to be aware of what our seniors and dependent adults are going through than right now," said District Attorney Tim Ward. "With decreased physical access to services and periods of isolation, it is a tragic recipe for...
If Valley Adult Day Services can stay afloat in Porterville, the goal is to downsize the facility and put funding into a second center in Visalia, where there is a need to provide stimulating day services for dementia patients while giving caretakers a much-needed break. Kimberly Jensen, community liaison at Quail Park Senior Living in Visalia, has been building the dream ever since she began working at Quail Park 10 years ago. She envisions a facility that's like a little...
The COVID-19 pandemic has more people than ever ordering from Amazon. And, of course, scammers are finding ways to cash in on the trend. Con artists are posing as Amazon employees, calling people, and claiming to need information about their account. And if that wasn't tricky enough, scammers are using the Better Business Bureau's (BBB's) phone number to do it! How the Scam Works You answer the phone, and it is a recorded message claiming to be from Amazon stating there is a...
The Tulare County Health & Human Services Agency announced that five human cases of West Nile Virus have been reported in Tulare County. Public health officials urge residents to take precautions against mosquito bites, as mosquito samples positive for West Nile Virus have been detected in multiple locations within the county. In addition, samples indicate that St. Louis Encephalitis Virus (SLEV) may also be present, posing a risk to the public. "Due to this increased...
More than 130 area residents raised over $20,000 in this year's Tulare & Kings Walk to End Alzheimer's on October 3rd. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, participants walked as individuals or in small groups on sidewalks, tracks and trails across the area. "Even during these uncertain times, the community members in Tulare and Kings Counties stepped up to raise over $20,000 to support the mission of the Alzheimer's Association through the Walk to End Alzheimer's," said Sherrie...
As of August 20, Tulare County has 12,907 reported cases of COVID-19, also known as coronavirus. The virus has killed 208 people in the county. Kings County has had 5,347 cases, with 68 deaths. People continue to receive mixed messages about how safe it is to resume a normal life. Some events are now on the fall calendar (see "mini" Calendar on page 4), but most others have been canceled. Visalia Senior Games The City of Visalia Recreation Department decided earlier this...