Stories from July, 2025
Stories from July, 2025
The Visalia Connect RibbonCutting Ceremony was held on June 10 at the Visalia Transit Center to formally launch Visalia Connect, a new ride service for the community. Visalia Connect provides convenient, flexible service throughout Visalia with a mobile app offering a rider experience like popular ride-sharing platforms Uber or Lyft. The service is part of the City of Visalia's Transit Division and joins a variety of other rider options. "We are excited to introduce Visalia...
June was World Elder Abuse Awareness Month and observances were held in both Tulare and Kings Counties. World Elder Abuse Awareness Day was launched on June 15, 2006, by the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse and the World Health Organization at the United Nations. Each year, an estimated five million older persons in the United States are abused, neglected or exploited. To remember seniors who reported some form of abuse in 2024, Tulare County HHSA and...
The Federal Bureau of Investigation's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) has released its latest annual report. Internet Crime Report 2024 combines information from 859,532 complaints of suspected Internet crime and details reported losses exceeding $16 billion - a 33% increase from 2023. The top three cybercrimes, by number of complaints reported by victims in 2024, were phishing/spoofing, extortion, and personal data breaches. Victims of investment fraud, specifically...
The Social Security Board of Trustees released its annual report on the financial status of the Social Security Trust Funds on June 18. The combined reserves of the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI) and Disability Insurance (DI) Trust Funds are projected to have enough dedicated revenue to pay all scheduled benefits and associated administrative costs until 2034, one year earlier than projected last year, with 81% of benefits payable at that time. The OASI Trust Fund is...
On May 16, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration cleared for marketing the first in vitro diagnostic device that tests blood to aid in diagnosing Alzheimer's disease. The Lumipulse G pTau217/ß-Amyloid 1-42 Plasma Ratio is for the early detection of amyloid plaques associated with Alzheimer's disease in adult patients, ages 55 years and older, exhibiting signs and symptoms of the disease. "Alzheimer's disease impacts too many people, more than breast cancer and prostate...
A new study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Federal Reserve Board of Governors found that Medicare beneficiaries who go on to be diagnosed with dementia are more likely to miss payments on bills as early as six years before a clinical diagnosis. The study also found that beneficiaries diagnosed with dementia who had a lower educational status missed payments on bills beginning as early as seven years before a clinical diagnosis as compared to 2.5 years prior to a diagnosis...
A new USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology study suggests greater exposure to extreme heat may accelerate biological aging in older adults, raising new concerns about how climate change and heat waves could affect long-term health and aging at the molecular level. "People in neighborhoods that experience more days of high heat show greater biological aging on average than residents of cooler regions," said Jennifer Ailshire, senior author of the study and professor of...
From probiotic supplements to continuous glucose monitors, hacking gut health has become an obsession for many wellness enthusiasts. It's not without reason: Doctors are just beginning to understand the importance of the microbiome and digestive system for overall health. One strategy that's gone viral on social media, however, is deceptively simple: going on "fart walks" after dinner. And darn tootin' there just might be something to it. What Are 'Fart Walks'? The fart walk...
People who sit or remain sedentary for more than 14 hours a day, on average, may have a higher risk of a cardiovascular event or death in the year after treatment at a hospital for symptoms of a heart attack, such as chest pain, according to new research published today in the American Heart Association's peer-reviewed scientific journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes. Previous research from the study authors found that people who had experienced a heart...
In one of the largest and most comprehensive studies of its kind, a research team led at UC San Francisco has identified the regions where dementia occurs most often. Using the Mid-Atlantic as the basis for comparison, researchers found that dementia rates were 25% higher in the Southeast. The Northwest and Rocky Mountains were both 23% higher, and the South was 18% higher. The Southwest, which includes California, was 13% higher; while the Northeast, which includes New York, was 7% higher. These differences remained when...
Managing complex medication schedules could soon become as simple as taking a single capsule each day. Engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed a capsule that can be packed with multiple medications and release them at designated times throughout the day. The advance, published in Matter, could help improve medication adherence and health outcomes by eliminating the need for patients to remember taking multiple drugs or doses at various times each...
In one of the largest and most comprehensive studies of its kind, a research team led at UC San Francisco has identified the regions where dementia occurs most often. Using the Mid-Atlantic as the basis for comparison, researchers found that dementia rates were 25% higher in the Southeast. The Northwest and Rocky Mountains were both 23% higher, and the South was 18% higher. The Southwest, which includes California, was 13% higher, while the Northeast, which includes New York,...
If you’re paying for magazine subscriptions right now, you could be missing out on an opportunity to save money. Many magazines are available for free; you just have to know how to get them. To research this story, I signed up for a handful of online subscription services and called local libraries and booksellers to find out the best ways to get free magazines. In this article, you’ll find three great techniques to secure free magazines, including digital subscriptions, monthly mailed releases and old copies. I...
In 1850, California became the 31st state in the Union. Its statehood wasn't without controversy. Slavery was a hot-button issue in the country at the time, but California came in as a "free" state, which meant slavery was prohibited. When the Civil War began in 1861, the California state legislature denounced secession, and in May it pledged full support to "the Constitution and the Union in the hour of trial and peril." But despite the state's overall support for the...
It's a bright Tuesday morning inside the exercise room at Quail Park at Shannon Ranch at the west end of the building. They had already begun to gather, the six facility residents who would engage in some light stretching and calisthenics before strapping on boxing gloves in preparation for going a few rounds. But this wasn't just any northside boxing club. They were seniors, and no, not the high school variety. The youngest is 71-year-old Richard Gress, who is also the only...
A study which examined the lifestyles of hundreds of older adults found that those who spent time gardening had better cognitive function in later life than those who did not. Importantly, this was the case even when accounting for a person's socio-economic status, time spent in education, childhood cognitive ability, health, and overall level of physical activity in older age. Researchers say the findings provide some of the first evidence that gardening activity in older...
July is historically our hottest and driest month. Keep things easy this month, on both you and the garden. Work in the mornings, stay hydrated and ease off the pruning and fertilizing. July is a great month to plan for autumn and do whatever preparation you can for creating a more water-efficient, California-style garden. Planting Avoid planting most ornamental plants in July. Instead use your water to keep the vegetable garden, orchard and existing plants (especially...
Two Visalia senior living communities have been highlighted by the U.S. News & World Report for providing exceptional care for seniors in 2025. Quail Park of Shannon Ranch was recognized as a "Best Independent and Best Assisted Living Community," and Quail Park Memory Care Residences of Visalia was recognized as a "Best Memory Care Community." U.S. News and World Report's ratings offer a look at the best senior living communities across the United States, to assist older...
Kaweah Health has earned The Joint Commission's Gold Seal of Approval for Advanced Primary Stroke Center Accreditation by demonstrating continuous compliance with its performance standards. The Gold Seal is a symbol of quality that reflects a healthcare organization's commitment to providing safe and quality patient care. Kaweah Health underwent a rigorous, unannounced onsite review in March. During the visit, a team of Joint Commission reviewers evaluated compliance with...
With its annual "Belle of the Ballpark" competition, the Rustlers Program renewed its most amusing annual tradition. "Belle of the Ballpark" is a fan experience, a pageant-like celebration that encourages ladies ages 60 and over to show off their talents in front of the Rawhide crowd. The ladies, or potential "Belles," are women from the Tulare and Kings County area, who participate in different activities showcasing their talents, much like a beauty pageant. This year, those...
The National Council on Aging (NCOA), "the national voice for every person's right to age well," has selected the winners of its fifth annual photo contest, which this year focused on what it looks like to be 75 in America, in celebration of its 75 years of service to older adults. "This year's photographs are a great illustration of the gift of longevity and what it means to age well," said Ramsey Alwin, NCOA President and CEO. "NCOA has been working for 75 years to make...
I visited my father over the Memorial Day weekend, and he was not the same as when I visited him last year. I asked him what was wrong, but he just said that elderly people like him get depressed. Is depression normal in seniors? The difficulties that seniors face as they are aging are physical decline, emotional adjustments and the realization of their mortality. They are fully aware of the gradual loss of muscle strength throughout their bodies. The simple tasks of walking upstairs, opening a jar or walking into the...
"Aging in America: Survive or Thrive" is a one-hour documentary on PBS that explores the challenges and opportunities of a rapidly aging population. In 1975, 25 million Americans were over the age of 65; today, that number has more than doubled to 55 million. In just a decade, Americans 65 and older will outnumber those under 18 for the first time. Fifty years ago, Dr. Robert Butler wrote a visionary, Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Why Survive: Being Old in America. With...
"Eleanor the Great" tells the story of the witty and proudly troublesome 94-year-old Eleanor Morgenstein. Eleanor Morgenstein has always stayed engaged and connected to the people around her. So, after a devastating loss, she relocates from Florida to New York City to live with her daughter and grandson, hoping to reconnect with her family. Instead, she feels even more adrift and invisible. One day, she unknowingly wanders into a support group where she doesn't quite belong,...
Hello All, Guess who’s back? Back again, guess who’s back, tell a friend… Sorry, Eminem took over for a second. As I was saying, well, as I started to say, I have a math question for you. Get your pencils out and solve this equation: 50+20+10=? Did you come up with 80? Congratulations, so did 99% of the world. That 1% happens to include the VA service-connection ratings system. According to the said system, if you have multiple disabilities, one rated at 50%, one rated...
