Biodiversity # 120 50″ x 102″, oil on canvas, 2019
117 N 10th St, Santa Paula. Monday, October 10, 1:00 p.m.
Art isn’t one thing. It doesn’t inspire identical reactions from all viewers. Art inspires, educates. Consciously or not, our responses to works of art help us understand the world around us. Artist Hiroko Yoshimoto inspires us to think deeply. Her work has the power to amaze us. This is especially true of her body of work known as Biodiversity.
Hiroko will share her thoughts about the ecological damage to our planet occurring every day, man’s role in that destruction, and nature’s response.
This event is limited to 20 guests. Suggested donation $20. Attendees who are not members of Santa Paula Museum of Art are asked to pay the Museum’s admission price ($4 adults’ $3 seniors) at the time of the event. Reservations required by October 7.
Also showing is a large-scale installation titled Impending Storms, based on the theme of saving endangered species. Working in collaboration with the Blue Marble Art Collective.
Space is limited! RSVP: FocusontheMasters.com, at 805-653-2501 or [email protected]
Take a walk together each day. Exercise is good for caregivers, too!
Use exercise videos or check your local TV guide to see if there is a program to help older adults exercise.
Dance to music.
Be realistic about how much activity can be done at one time. Several short “mini-workouts” may be best.
Make sure he or she wears comfortable clothes and shoes that fit well and are made for exercise.
Make sure he or she drinks water or juice after exercise.
Even if the person has trouble walking, they may be able to:
Do simple tasks around the home, such as sweeping and dusting.
Use a stationary bike.
Use soft rubber exercise balls or balloons for stretching or throwing back and forth.
Use stretching bands.
Lift weights or household items such as soup cans.
With no experience in radio at all, she launched “In The Women’s Room”
by Patricia Schallert
There are many seniors among us who have lived and continue to live lives that can be considered “success stories” …. Let’s meet Kathleen Good from CAPS RADIO KPPQ 104.1 FM and see how she sees it.
Kathleen Good, an incredible retiree with a second or maybe third career, is a talk show host at CAPS Media, KPPQ 104.1 FM. (Community Access Partners of San Buenaventura) She attended UW-Madison, Wisconsin and earned a Masters Degree in Rehabilitation Psychology—Special Education.
She worked to set up a first generation of special education resource classrooms. Then reflected that after a life-changing event, she took an opportunity to go to New York that had always intrigued her. While working with learning disabled students in art, she created three-dimensional fiber pieces which were so unusual they found their way into New York galleries and shows and gave her a reason to make the move to New York.
Kathleen moved to London after meeting her husband where she did training for a qualification in psychotherapy/counseling and developed a private practice. Her niche specialty was working with artists who were experiencing creative blocks and unable to move forward with their chosen artistic form.
After a couple of false starts, Kathleen settled less on the idea of retirement and more on working in radio and television. When she discovered CAPS Media, a non-profit in Ventura, Kathleen initially produced funny videos on climate change. When CAPS added a radio service, KPPQ 104.1 FM, she found it to be a great fit for expanding her ideas on women’s equality. To create the show, she used all the experiences gained during years of teaching, counseling, and making art—as well as the technical skills she learned from the master-level CAPS staff.
With no experience in radio at all, she launched “In The Women’s Room” a radio talk show at CAPS Radio dedicated to “educating the public about women’s issues, women’s concerns, and women in the arts.” “In the Women’s Room” exists, Kathleen reflects, to “support and appreciate women.” She hosts guests who give women ideas, expertise, information, and resources about universal issues and concerns.” She is focusing this year on women working in climate mitigation and that includes women in action groups, government entities, and non-profit agencies.
Kathleen feels she lives a happy successful retirement and values the turning points in her life as they created the opportunities that moved her forward. She takes her time producing a show so she is able to do research, consider questions, write and edit, and works hard to get to know her guest so she can get out the very best message to the public
Kathleen responded to my question about lessons she has learned over the years with these thoughts: “I think there is a remedy to every problem or issue if you look long enough. Even problems that can’t be entirely fixed, can be lessened, alleviated or mitigated.” She also believes that movement (stretching and strengthening) is the key to being able to continue with her relevant work. Her day is centered around movement work-outs interspersed with computer time, Zooming and talking!
Editor: If you are a senior, or know of one, who would like to share their retirement, or job, with us let us know at [email protected].
Many older people don’t sleep well. If you’re always sleepy or you find it hard to get enough sleep at night, it may be time to see a doctor. Waking up every day feeling tired is a sign that you are not getting the rest you need.
Older adults need about the same amount of sleep as all adults—7 to 9 hours each night. But, older people tend to go to sleep earlier and get up earlier than they did when they were younger.
There are many reasons why older people may not get enough sleep at night. Feeling sick or being in pain can make it hard to sleep. Some medicines can keep you awake. No matter the reason, if you don’t get a good night’s sleep, the next day you may:
Be irritable
Have memory problems or be forgetful
Feel depressed
Have more falls or accidents
Get a Good Night’s Sleep
Getting a good night’s sleep infographic icon. Click through for full text.
Read and share this infographic to get tips on how to get a good night’s sleep.
Being older doesn’t mean you have to be tired all the time. You can do many things to help you get a good night’s sleep. Here are some ideas:
Follow a regular sleep schedule. Go to sleep and get up at the same time each day, even on weekends or when you are traveling.
Avoid napping in the late afternoon or evening, if you can. Naps may keep you awake at night.
Develop a bedtime routine.
Take time to relax before bedtime each night. Some people read a book, listen to soothing music, or soak in a warm bath.
Try not to watch television or use your computer, cell phone, or tablet in the bedroom. The light from these devices may make it difficult for you to fall asleep. And alarming or unsettling shows or movies, like horror movies, may keep you awake.
Keep your bedroom at a comfortable temperature, not too hot or too cold, and as quiet as possible.
Use low lighting in the evenings and as you prepare for bed.
Exercise at regular times each day but not within 3 hours of your bedtime.
Avoid eating large meals close to bedtime—they can keep you awake.
Stay away from caffeine late in the day. Caffeine (found in coffee, tea, soda, and chocolate) can keep you awake.
Having trouble sleeping can mean you:
Take a long time to fall asleep
Wake up many times in the night
Wake up early and are unable to get back to sleep
Wake up tired
Feel very sleepy during the day
Often, being unable to sleep becomes a habit. Some people worry about not sleeping even before they get into bed. This may make it harder to fall asleep and stay asleep.
Some older adults who have trouble sleeping may use over-the-counter sleep aids. Others may use prescription medicines to help them sleep. These medicines may help when used for a short time. But remember, medicines aren’t a cure for insomnia.
Developing healthy habits at bedtime may help you get a good night’s sleep.
Results showed that exposure to social stress was associated with a greater proportion of T cells
Exposure to social stress was associated with accelerated aging of the immune system, according to an NIA-funded study recently published in PNAS. The body’s immune system changes as people age, and there’s large variability in these changes. The study, led by researchers at UCLA, investigated whether social stressors added to immune system decline.
The researchers analyzed data from more than 5,500 people enrolled in the Health and Retirement Study, a long-term, nationally representative study of Americans over age 50. The researchers measured stress by analyzing responses to questions about exposure to various types of social stress, including discrimination, trauma, and other life events, such as unemployment. They also analyzed the participants’ immune profiles — a snapshot of immune system function — by drawing blood and measuring white blood cell levels, specifically T lymphocytes (also called T cells). T cells are an essential part of the immune system and help the body fight off infection.
Results showed that exposure to social stress was associated with a greater proportion of T cells committed only to fighting infections like those already encountered and fewer T cells that could adapt to new challenges, indicative of accelerated immune aging. The association between social stress and T cells was still present even after controlling for education, smoking, drinking, body mass index, and race or ethnicity.
Researchers did find that, after controlling for lifestyle factors such as diet and exercise habits, the connection between stress and accelerated immune aging was not as strong. These findings suggest that improving diet and exercise behaviors in older adults may help offset the immune aging associated with stress.
Increased immune aging is associated with chronic diseases, weakened response to acute infections, increased risk of pneumonia, reduced efficacy of vaccines, and organ system aging. This study provides important insights into the effect of social stress on immune aging, highlighting the key role of health behaviors and social-environmental conditions. It also identifies potential intervention points that may be useful in addressing inequalities in aging.
This research was supported in part by NIA grants U01AG009740 and P30AG017265.
With the opening of Fall classes, Ventura County librarians will be paying visits to elementary schools to encourage students to get library cards and take advantage of all the services the library has to offer.
In addition to books and activities students can find at the library, a library card gives them access to many online resources, including live tutors in math, science, reading/writing, social studies, PSAT/SAT, ACT, AP and state standardized tests. At the vencolibrary.org website, the resource HelpNow! by Brainfuse offers live online tutoring every day 1:00 PM to 10:00 PM PDT. Log in to the resource with your library card bar code number. In addition to the live tutoring, a 24-hour writing lab is also available where essays and other forms of writing can be submitted for constructive feedback.
A variety of research tools, including digital books, audiobooks, Encyclopedia Britannica, magazines and newspapers can also be found through the eLibrary at vencolibrary.org.
Ventura County Library offers volunteer opportunities for students needing school community service credit and teens 13-17 who want to help the library in a virtual and/or in-person environment. These volunteers assist with children’s programs, research and recommend books for the library to purchase and research and recommend websites for the library’s Steam Resources web page.
Please visit the teen volunteers page for more information: https://vencholibrary.orgr/teen-volunteers and contact [email protected] with your interest.
The Friends of the Preuter Library will be holding their 19th High Tea on Oct. 16th from 2-4 PM at the library located at 510 Park Ave in Port Hueneme. The cost is $40 per person and guests are seated at tables of four or six people. Guests willing to hostess a table (supply china and linens) are especially welcome. There are competitions for best table and best hat. Deadline for reservations is Sept. 30th. Don’t forget your checkbook or cash for the opportunity drawing.
If you have questions or to make a reservation, please contact Jo Ann Van Reenan (805) 282-9794 or [email protected]. All proceeds benefit the library.
Ventura Friends of the Library can always use more volunteers to sort and price donated books, work in the bookstore in E.P. Foster Library and work at our quarterly book sales.
If you would like to help, please email [email protected] or stop by our bookstore in E.P. Foster Library, open 11 am to 4 pm Tuesday through Saturday.
We are excited to share with you our 2022 sponsorship opportunity for our upcoming fundraising event at the Crowne Plaza Ventura Beach on the evening of Saturday, November 5th, 2022 … “Fostering the Next Wave”
Founded on January 1, 2000, Kids & Families Together (K&FT) has been serving foster, adoptive, kinship, and birth families throughout Ventura County. For over two decades K&FT has become the leader in providing critical services and support to children who have experienced trauma, abuse, neglect, loss, and multiple placements.
Recently, we’ve had the great fortune to connect with an up-and-coming local non-profit, More Than Conquerors Surf (MTC Surf). MTC Surf, founded in 2020, serves foster youth in Ventura County by providing them with the opportunity to experience freedom, joy, and confidence through the gift of surfing. MTC Surf’s mission is to provide foster youth with the ultimate surf experience in a safe and fun environment while encouraging personal growth, community, and faith. MTC Surf desires that every child and teen that surfs with them would know that they are fully loved and capable of conquering any current and future challenges they may face.
With our common connection of both organizations providing programs and services for foster, adoptive and kinship families, we decided it would be perfect for us to collaborate on a joint fundraising event that we are calling… “Fostering the Next Wave”.
This will be the inaugural year for this event, and we want this to be a very fun, yet casual (gala-type) event overlooking the sunset of Surfers Point. We’d love for it to be an event where people will gather to share their love of surfing, while helping to raise money for two organizations that are providing support and services to some of Ventura Counties most vulnerable children. Guests will enjoy a buffet style dinner, drinks, gorgeous sunset views, surf-inspired music and short films, silent auction, and a hula performance by “Hula Anyone” https://www.hulaanyone.com/ .
Your donations will be doubled! All funds raised from this event (including sponsorships and ticket sales) will be matched dollar-for-dollar by a generous donation from a private family foundation!
For full details, please visit the official event website at the link listed below…
Fostering the Next Wave 2022 – https://fundraise.givesmart.com/e/F-ziMA?vid=sy1pf
More Than Conquerors Surf … https://www.mtcsurf.org/
Who we Are (2 min. video) … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXkp2nbJX_8&t=64s
On Sept. 3 & 4, the 14th annual Aloha Beach Festival was held at Promenade Park Surfers Point in Ventura. The event featured live entertainment, surfing, arts & crafts, food and beer, Hawaiian dancers and the C-Street Classic surf competition.
John Brooks and Chipper Bell are all smiles at the Festival. Photos by Patricia Schallert
It is the brainchild of Chipper “Bro” Bell, a 12-time world Frisbee champion. The Aloha Beach Festival was designed to give back to our local social and environmental organizations. Chipper and his family each year choose a charity organization and they volunteer for them for one year. Each
year the Festival has grown in size and scope and brings the community together to share the aloha spirit. This year’s proceeds went to benefit the Merito Foundation.