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Free monthly education classes

Livingston Memorial Visiting Nurse Association supports the total well-being of our community.  As part of their services, they host free monthly education classes throughout the county which include the following in Ventura.

Ventura: Adult Bereavement Support Group Wednesdays, February 3, 10, 17, and 24 from 6:30-8:00 pm at Livingston Memorial Visiting Nurse Association office, 1996 Eastman Ave., Suite 109.  These groups are open to individuals who have experienced loss and are free of charge. Call 642-0239 for more information or email [email protected].

Ventura: Newly Bereaved Support Group Thursday, February 11th from 6-7:30 pm at Livingston Memorial Visiting Nurse Association office, 1996 Eastman Ave., Suite 109.  This monthly group is designed for adults who have recently experienced the loss of a loved one and is free. Call 642-0239 for more information or email [email protected].  These groups meet every 2nd Thursday of each month.

Ventura: Tuesday, February 2nd from 1-2:30pm at Livingston Memorial Visiting Nurse Association, 1996 Eastman Ave, Suite 109.  These meetings are held on 1st Tuesday of each month.  General information is provided about Type 2 Diabetes with emphasis on the development of an individualized plan of care that includes diet, medication, exercise and blood sugar monitoring.  Call 642-0239 for more information.

Ventura: Thursday, February 4th from 1:00-2:00pm at Livingston Memorial Visiting Nurse Association offices, in the Community Room at 1996 Eastman Avenue, Suite 109 in Ventura. You will learn what to expect before, during and after knee or hip replacement surgery and how to be an active participant in your care. These meetings are 1st Thursday of each month.  For information or to RSVP call Dinah Davis at (805) 642-0239 ext. 739.

Ventura: Monday, February 8th for both English and Spanish speaking.  English 4:00-5:00pm and Spanish 5:30-6:30pm at Livingston Memorial Visiting Nurse Association offices, in the Community Room at 1996 Eastman Avenue, Suite 109 in Ventura. You will learn what to expect before, during and after knee or hip replacement surgery and how to be an active participant in your care.  For information or to RSVP call Dinah Davis at  642-0239 ext. 739.

 

 

“What happens when I can’t take care of myself?” 

The Ventura Parkinson’s Support Group will host Debra Mansfield, Owner of The Lynd Group at their meeting Wednesday, February 10, from 1:00 to 3:00 pm at The Lexington Assisted Living, 5440 Ralston St, Ventura. Public welcome, no admission fee.

The best time to talk and plan for long term care is before you need it. Over 70% of Americans over the age of 65 will need care and the average stay in a care facility is 3 years; will Medicare cover that cost and if not, what can one do to protect one’s finances? What’re the differences between senior homes, assisted living and memory care? Come explore the ins and outs of “Long Term Care“, care giving choices, and alternatives at this meeting.

Debra has very recent personal experience with “the assisted living care system” and has the most recent developments in long term care to share with us. She and The Lynd Group have been helping the community plan for their financial futures since 2009. Debra also has a personal connection to Parkinson’s disease.

Please check in at the front desk for directions and sign-in. Extra parking is graciously available across the street from the Lexington in the Baptist Church parking lot. Call 766-6070 for further information. Reservations are not required.

Decades of heartfelt care the hallmark of Ventura’s Treacy Villa

Rita Solomon Kovacs, Patrick Treacy and Colleen Conboy make Treacy Villa a wonderful place to live.

by Karen Helen Szatkowski

Treacy Villa, on the corner of Mills and Loma Vista, is a landmark of some note in our fair city.  Established in 1987 by Mr. Patrick Treacy, it has  taken on the challenge of caring for our aging population and has provided a uniquely warm family setting for the residents.

The care provided ranges from temporary stay, assisted living, diet management, memory care, diabetic management, hospice and respite care.  Throughout the facility there are unusual framed collections of locks and latches on the walls for manipulation by the residents that enjoy some tactile activity. The rooms are airy and well-kept and the atmosphere is homey, cheerful and serene.

The facility houses 49 residents with rarely an empty bed. The exceptional aspect of Treacy Villa is the founder, Patrick Treacy, who visits daily for breakfast and lunch, hugging residents and greeting the staff members with his Irish charm and wit as well.   Treacy left Ireland as a young twenty-two year old and found his way into caregiving and the startup of a facility in Santa Barbara until permanently settling in Ventura.  He tells everyone that asks that he is married to Treacy Villa and its residents.  Many of these have been Ventura notables in our community.

The money matters aspect of eldercare is paramount and increasingly troublesome.  To combat this as much as possible for the residents, Treacy Villa’s fee system is All Inclusive (with the exception of medicine.)  The residents and their families also receive a quarterly newsletter with pithy quotes and detailed “what’s going on” at the Villa.  Any visiting relative or friend can spend significant time with the staff and or Mr. Treacy to fully understand the care they are providing for their loved one.

The leadership of the facility includes Treacy’s “right hand” Colleen Conboy, Administrator and “left hand” Sarah Stonebraker, Director of Resident Care Services.

Rita Solomon Kovacs is the Marketing Director.

These women have not years but decades with Treacy Villa and will, without provocation, expound on the highest quality of care that is provided and the outstanding staff retention.  These attributes flow directly, they say, from the commitment and concern that Mr. Treacy wakes with every day as he contemplates his duties at the Villa.

Patrick Treacy stated  “Working with the elderly was not my goal, but every day, every smile since has told me I am blessed to be able to make a difference in these people’s lives.”

Coleen Conboy went on to say  “When we see our families relax, we’ve done something good.”  And Rita Solomon-Kovacs,  “Treacy Villa is truly an exceptional find. Stop by to see us, you will be glad you did!”

3482 Loma Vista, Ventura 644-1292

 

Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program

“Are you a Target of Healthcare Fraud?” Protect yourself from Medicare Fraud. What are the Free Preventive Services? How will Extra Income Work for you? Tuesday, February 9,  Ventura Avenue Adult Center, 550 North Ventura Avenue, Ventura, 12:30pm to 1:30pm.

For more information on the presentations contact HICAP at 1-800-434-0222

The Ventura County Library celebrated 100 years of service to the county on January 1

“The libraries of today are all about literacy, and that comes in many forms,” said Library Director Jackie Griffin. “We will always have books, but many of our services are now online as well. We have music, video, computer stations and even 3-D printers for the public to use.”

The County Library now has 11 branches, including one in Saticoy that was recently moved into a beautiful new building in the central part of the community. Each of the County libraries has high-speed Internet service and, in some branches, patrons can checkout laptop computers to use in the library. During the last fiscal year, the Library’s website had a half-million visits and a circulation of more than one million traditional and electronic materials.

Ventura’s Foster Library offers many things besides the reading of books.

Opera Santa Barbara will present a series of Free Noontime Concerts at Foster Library on the third Friday of February, March, and April. The concerts will feature members of the Mosher Studio Artist Program, a residential training program for accomplished young singers. These concerts are offered free to the public, and will feature a diverse repertoire of popular and lesser-known operatic offerings, all accompanied by piano. Concert dates are: February 19, March 18 and April 15.
For more information 648-2716,

California Native Plant Society Speaker Series February 16, at 7 pm
Scott Tomkinson will speak about restoration versus nature.

Adult Coloring Book Break February 3, 10, 17, 24 at noon.
Join in for some stress relieving coloring. Coloring sheets and pencils provided. Available from 12pm to 2pm so stop by for a minute or ten!

 

Vol. 9, No. 9 – February 3 – February 16, 2016 – Harbor Patrol Blotter

1-17 5:18pm, officers escorted the fishing vessel “SeaHawk” into the harbor.  Significant shoaling at the entrance and large Northwest swells have combined to create a precarious navigation problem at the Harbor Entrance.
1-18 1:11pm, received a dispatch to a 48 year old man down at Harbor Blvd and Beachmont.  Officers responded and assisted with medical treatment.

3:05pm, officers were assisting a 75ft fishing vessel navigate the shoals in the Harbor entrance.  The vessel failed to follow instructions and went aground.  The fishing vessel was eventually able to get off the shoal unassisted.

4:00pm – 4:00am, officers monitored and escorted inbound and outbound vessels due to extremely hazardous conditions at the Harbor entrance due to shoaling and large waves.
1-19 7:00am-4:00pm, officers begin escorting multiple vessels through the narrow entrance channel.  All inbound and outbound vessels are required escort from Harbor Patrol due to the shoaling and large swells.

12:26pm, received a dispatch to a fall victim at the marina mobile home park.  Officers responded and assisted a female who fell.  The patient was lifted from the ground and sustained no injuries from the fall.

1:09pm, received a report of a capsized vessel in the shoaling area of the entrance, all three persons on board are in the water.  Officers responded, pulled the victims out of the water, righted the vessel and towed it to its slip.  The vessel was a tender for the Hawaiian Chieftain, a tall ship in the Harbor.

5:25pm, received a dispatch to a water rescue near the Ventura pier.  Officers responded to a surfer in distress, who was located safely on the beach.
1-20 4am-4am, officer’s escorted approximately 20 vessels in and out of the Harbor due to extremely hazardous conditions.
1-21 4am-4am, officers escorted vessels in and out of the Harbor, dangerous shoals.

12:00pm, U.S. coast guard placing shoal, #5 Aton buoys in the harbor entrance due to the extreme shoaling and narrow channel.  Also placing lights on the temporary buoys to aid in navigation.  
1-22 11:05am, observed the #5 Aton buoy set by the coast guard yesterday washed into South beach due to very large surf and strong currents in the Harbor Entrance. Officers retrieved it, towed it up the beach and out of harm’s way.

12:30pm, officers beginning a series of dangerous escorts through the Harbor entrance.  The waves have picked up significantly throughout the day and the entrance is nearly impassable.

6:45pm, U.S. coast guard Captain of the Port, per request of the Ventura Harbor Master closed the Ventura Harbor entrance for Hazardous conditions.

11:27pm, received a report of multiple flares spotted off Ventura Harbor.  After a brief investigation, it was determined to be several Chinese lanterns.
 1-23 9:25pm, received a dispatch to an unconscious person at the Comedy Club.  Officers responded and assisted a 72 year old female who was transported to local hospital for further evaluation.

 

Ventura’s Earth Day Eco Fest April 23rd – Vendor / Sponsor registration open

The Ventura Breeze, Jaime Baker and the lady with no name will be there.
The Ventura Breeze, Jaime Baker and the lady with no name will be there.

Preparations have begun for Ventura’s 9th Annual Earth Day Eco Fest, to be held Saturday, April 23rd from 10am to 5pm at Promenade Park.  Exhibitor booths are available for organizations and businesses to spread their green and sustainable messages with a public that cares. “We are focused on making a positive change locally and globally. It’s the perfect setting to connect with eco minded people in our community,” says Event Chair, Toni Guy.  The success of the festival would not be possible without our sponsors, whose support allows the festival to offer free admission. For Exhibitor Booths and Sponsorship opportunities visit www.venturaearthday.org.

“In our ninth year, the Ventura Eco Fest has grown into one of the most successful, highly attended events in the region. People come back each year because of our great vendors, live entertainment and fun family activities,” says Guy. The festival brings the community together to have fun, connect with environmentally-minded organizations and businesses and to appreciate Ventura’s spectacular natural surroundings. The festival has grown from being a school fundraiser to an award-winning community event, attracting approximately 5,000 visitors and features 100 exhibitors.

The festival is hosted by the Ventura Charter School of Arts and Global Education in cooperation with the City of Ventura.  Profits from the day-long event go toward funding enrichment programs for Kindergarten through eighth-grade students at the tuition-free public school.

April Davis: gifted and giving

stuff April
April Davis leads the gathering in song at a  Candlelight Memorial Service at Cypress Place Senior Living.  The touching service was in honor of those who are no longer with us but are forever present in our hearts. Photo by Michael Gordon

by Victoria Usher

I think we can all agree that music is something very special that can change people’s lives in so many indescribable ways. It can turn strangers into friends or even bring happiness and comfort during times of sadness. When someone has a voice that has the ability to bring that type of joy to people’s lives then that is truly a gift that should be shared with the world. Nineteen year old April Davis has been gifted with a beautiful singing voice, one which she happily and passionately uses to touch the lives of people of all ages.

What makes April so unique and special is the fact that she is able to reach the elderly and the Veterans with her singing at such a young age. Listening to songs that she hears in old movies makes her want to learn how to sing them, and when she finally does she sings them so wonderfully.

 

Singing the old time songs that April loves has helped her to create a strong connection with the elderly in town including the Alzheimer/Dementia units at the Memory Care Unit at Cypress Place. She sings regularly at Oxnard Family Circle and Cypress Place, but she has also sung at local assisted living facilities such as The Bonaventure, The Lexington, The Palms, and The Gables.

 

April has shared her love for singing with many people; she was a winner of the 2014 La Estrella singing contest at the Pacific View Mall, a finalist for the 805’s Got Talent competition, she sang at the Ventura High Auditorium for the Festival of Talent, and she sang for an organization at the Fess Parker Doubletree in Santa Barbara. She has sung the National Anthem at Ventura College football stadium for various events, at her middle school, at her high school graduation, and before the political dignitaries at various Veteran events. And at the Pacific View Mall for Livingston Memorial VNA’s annual Light Up A Life.

 

Singing has been a very large part of April’s life since she was eight years old. There was an American Idol Contest at her after school program at Las Posas Child Care Center and she advanced to the final round, but April made the mature decision to sign up for vocal lessons instead even though she did win runner up.

 

April was first taught the Speech Leveling Singing method from her voice instructor Kathleen Kernohan. She now takes lessons with a vocal instructor Soli Geerling, he has helped her with her voice in many ways, including teaching her how to use her voice for operas as well as classical music.

 

Aside from singing, April will be attending Azusa Pacific this fall after she finishes up her second year at Ventura College. She will continue to work hard in school and she will also continue to bring happiness to people’s lives with her amazing voice. Music is a magical thing that can bring so many people together in ways that seem almost unreal at times, and to be gifted with a beautiful singing voice that can create that kind of magic is an unbelievable gift. I think that we are all looking forward to hopefully seeing much more of the talented April Davis in the future.

​Barbara Quaid elected 2016 President of Western Fairs Association

Barbara Quaid, Chief Executive Officer and General Manager of the Ventura County Fairgrounds, has been elected as President of the Western Fairs Association’s (WFA) Board of Directors. She was inaugurated at the Association’s annual conference in Anaheim.

Quaid will serve a one-year term as WFA President. She has served as 2015 Vice President and 2014 Treasurer.

As President of the 19 member elected Board, Quaid will represent the more than 800 WFA members and will work on their behalf for legislative advocacy, as well as govern the activities and policies of the association.

Barbara Quaid’s association with the Ventura County Fair began in 1972 as a volunteer in the exhibits department. Her career included many roles as a Fairgrounds staff member, earning the position of deputy manager. She currently serves as the Fairgrounds General Manager and CEO. Quaid serves on the Board of Directors of the Ventura Chamber of Commerce, the Ventura Visitors Bureau and is active in the Ventura County Fairgrounds Foundation.

The Western Fairs Association is a non-profit trade association serving the Fair industry throughout the Western United States and Canada. WFA serves fair-related businesses, fair management, fair board directors, festivals, and industry associations.

The 2016 Ventura County Fair, “A Country Fair with Ocean Air,” is August 3 – 14.

For information about the Ventura County Fairgrounds visit www.venturacountyfair.org or call 648-3376.

 

Startup book clubs forming at Bank of Books

Seven new book clubs are starting  at Book Club Headquarters in Bank of Books in Ventura.  Join one of the startup book clubs and receive your first book for free!

Owner Clarey Rudd states “this is a great way to meet new people, which often in a book club, can lead to long-time friendships.  This is very safe time to become involved when everyone will be new in these groups.”

Manager of Bank of Books, Rob, indicates that the book clubs will start in the month of March, so now is the time to pick up the book for the group they will participate in.  Nancy, the Book Club Organizer, is available to discuss book club startups with people wanting to start their own unique book club. If people need training to start a book club, this service is also available.

A ‘Harry Potter Book Club’ will begin in March and meet regularly for 6 months.

Each Book Club will meet in the Living Room downstairs at Bank of Books 748 E. Main, Ventura.

Nancy encourages ones to come and sign-up now to reserve your space, as each group will be limited in size. (The first person to sign up gets to pick the day/time of the meeting.) Each book club will meet monthly with a new book being discussed.

Contact  Rob Radford or Nancy Buchanan 643-3154 for more information.