Travel, Leisure & Fun for South Valley Adults
Travel, Leisure & Fun for South Valley Adults
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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...
Quail Park on Cypress will be hosting a free shredding event for seniors on Friday, March 26, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Seniors are encouraged to use this opportunity to safely dispose of confidential information. One or two pieces of personal information from your garbage are all that is required to steal your identity. Each car will be limited to three banker's boxes. Quail Park on Cypress is located at 4520 W. Cypress Ave., Visalia. For additional information, call the Quail...
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...
The developers of the Montecito Luxury Apartments in Visalia have unveiled Vintage Visalia, their new 55-plus rental community. The gated neighborhood in northwest Visalia offers granite countertops, energy-efficient stainless steel appliances, washer and dryer, vinyl hardwood flooring and a private patio. The community offers the choice of a three-bedroom/two-bath duplex or a two-bedroom/one-and-a-half-bath option. Residents can enjoy a well-equipped clubhouse featuring a...
Patriot Guard Riders were founded in July 2005 with the original purpose of shielding the families of fallen veterans from those who sought to disrupt the funerals of their loved ones. At the time, the Westboro Baptist Church was making headlines by conducting loud protests at the services of veterans and others. Carol Houck, the wife of an American Legion Rider, met with members of the Kansas American Legion Riders in Mulvane, Kansas to respond to the Westboro protestors and...
Many elderly people rely entirely on family or other trusted individuals to help them. Whether it is physiological or psychological, as people grow older they tend to need guidance and support. Unfortunately, the dependence upon caregivers or family members makes an older person more vulnerable to abuse. One in ten Americans (age 60+) are suffering from some form of abuse. Worse yet, one study estimates that only one in 14 cases of abuse are reported to authorities. Many...
It's easy to accumulate a lot of things throughout your life. From clothes and household goods to antiques and treasured keepsakes, decades of living often means decades of stuff. When you get to a certain age, it can be smart to start downsizing your belongings. Sometimes downsizing is inspired by a move and other times it's simply a proactive effort to keep a home clutter-free and make things easier for the next chapter of life. Although it can feel overwhelming, with a few...
The Kings County Commission on Aging will once again present Senior Day at Burris Park, 6500 Clinton Ave., Kingsburg. The event will feature a cake walk, bingo, raffles, music, informational tables, a crazy hat contest and Elvis, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday, September 20. The event is free, but there is a $3 suggested donation for the noon luncheon. For more information, call (559) 852-2828....
School is back in session, which means that fall is just around the corner and the Visalia Senior Center is ready to kick off fall with its annual Senior Center Fall Open House event. This event, scheduled for Wednesday, September 4 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Visalia Senior Center, 310 N. Locust St., Visalia, will feature plenty of information, programs and activities for seniors. Attendance is completely free for guests of all ages. The Fall Open House will feature 30-40...
In honor of National Older Americans Month, American Advisors Group (AAG), a leading provider of home equity solutions for retirement, analyzed data of more than 28,000 customers over a three-year period to find the most popular names among U.S. men and women age 62 and older. The results are in the graphic with this article. After the results were tallied, Robert "Bob" and Mary led the list of most popular names among older Americans. The average age among seniors used in the...