87-year-old Lee Mills of Ventura and daughter Lori Mills ran the Surfer’s Point marathon on Nov.7. Lee won Gold for being the oldest racer in the 10k. Daughter Lori ran the half marathon.
Lee lives in the California Veteran’s Home in Ventura. Lori is the owner of the Malibu Contemporary Art Gallery.
Yana, paints as often as time allows. Photos by Patricia Schallert
This is Yana. She is an artist living in a townhouse on the Ventura Promenade, she is inspired by the ocean waves and the beautiful sunsets.
Not just any artist, but a “Paint by Numbers” artist. She found great peace in painting by numbers when she was suffering from a severe anxiety disorder. It helped her cope with episodes by keeping her mind occupied and focused. She was an art major in school and could paint with watercolor, oils and acrylic but found that painting by numbers helped in a way none of the other expressions were able to do.
Several “Paint By Number’s” artists have discovered, especially during the pandemic, that it was a perfect activity to keep the mind busy and an inexpensive hobby. Others found PBN was therapeutic and relaxing. Yana, paints as often as time allows. Her canvas is always ready and she has now branched out to other free form art while she pushes away worries and concerns while she paints. She finds that every stroke is a stressless movement when she imitates other artists or when she is painting by numbers. These worries and concerns are in many of our lives, and can be gently pushed away for a short time, while painting with numbers.
by National Institute on Aging
A caregiver, sometimes referred to as a caretaker, refers to anyone who provides care for another person. Millions of people living in the United States take care of a friend or family member with Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia. Sometimes caregivers live with the person or nearby, other times they live far away. For many families, caring for a person with dementia isn’t just one person’s job, but the role of many people who share tasks and responsibilities. No matter what kind of caregiver you are, taking care of another person can be overwhelming at times.
These tips and suggestions may help with everyday care and tasks.
Tips for Everyday Care for People With Dementia
Early on in Alzheimer’s and related dementias, people experience changes in thinking, remembering, and reasoning in a way that affects daily life and activities. Eventually, people with these diseases will need more help with simple, everyday tasks. This may include bathing, grooming, and dressing. It may be upsetting to the person to need help with such personal activities. Here are a few tips to consider early on and as the disease progresses:
Try to keep a routine, such as bathing, dressing, and eating at the same time each day.
Help the person write down to-do lists, appointments, and events in a notebook or calendar.
Plan activities that the person enjoys and try to do them at the same time each day.
Consider a system or reminders for helping those who must take medications regularly.
When dressing or bathing, allow the person to do as much as possible.
Buy loose-fitting, comfortable, easy-to-use clothing, such as clothes with elastic waistbands, fabric fasteners, or large zipper pulls instead of shoelaces, buttons, or buckles.
Use a sturdy shower chair to support a person who is unsteady and to prevent falls. You can buy shower chairs at drug stores and medical supply stores.
Be gentle and respectful. Tell the person what you are going to do, step by step while you help them bathe or get dressed.
Serve meals in a consistent, familiar place and give the person enough time to eat.
Tips for Changes in Communication and Behavior for People With Dementia
Communication can be hard for people with Alzheimer’s and related dementias because they have trouble remembering things. They also can become agitated and anxious, even angry. In some forms of dementia, language abilities are affected such that people have trouble finding the right words or have difficulty speaking. You may feel frustrated or impatient, but it is important to understand that the disease is causing the change in communication skills. To help make communication easier, you can:
Reassure the person. Speak calmly. Listen to his or her concerns and frustrations. Try to show that you understand if the person is angry or fearful.
Allow the person to keep as much control in his or her life as possible.
Respect the person’s personal space.
Build quiet times into the day, along with activities.
Keep well-loved objects and photographs around the house to help the person feel more secure.
Remind the person who you are if he or she doesn’t remember, but try not to say, “Don’t you remember?”
Encourage a two-way conversation for as long as possible.
Try distracting the person with an activity, such as a familiar book or photo album, if you are having trouble communicating with words.
Photos by Patrish Schallert
On Friday, November 12, the Ventura Salvation Army held their 2021 Red Kettle Kickoff Fundraiser Luncheon at their headquarters located 650 S. Petit Avenue.
hile sharing a delicious lunch, and the fellowship of other business and civic leaders, attendees had a chance to learn more about the myriad programs of the Ventura Corps including their Free Eye Clinics, The Hope Center for transitional living, Food Pantries in east and west Ventura, and holiday meals and toys for hundreds of local families.
The event officially launched one of our country’s most endeared holiday traditions, the ringing bells of the Salvation Army Red Kettles. The Ventura Salvation Army is lead by Juan & Patricia Torres.
Juan stated “We are excited for the start of this year’s Red Kettle Campaign and today’s kick off was a wonderful way to begin the Christmas season. We are so grateful to everyone that came to the luncheon in support of what The Salvation Army is doing here in our beautiful Ventura.”
by Richard Bitner
After a certain age, some level of decline should be expected year after year. In our forties and fifties, this decline is incremental. It happens slowly, and while it can affect our physical and mental performance, most of us are still able to live our lives comfortably. But in our sixties and beyond, decline begins to speed up. Eventually, seniors reach a point of functional decline. This is the point where elderly care is required for seniors to live comfortably and safely.
Unfortunately, it can be hard to spot functional decline. While decline accelerates in seniors, it still happens gradually enough that functional decline can go unnoticed. As a result, seniors who require elderly care in some form — either from family caregivers, in-home elderly care professionals, or facility living — end up without the support they need. How to Notice Signs of Functional Decline in Seniors
To determine whether or not your loved one may need elderly care or another senior service, you need to know the signs of functional decline. Keep in mind that functional decline relates to physical and cognitive function, so you need to be aware of the signs of decline for both.
People sometimes miss signs of decline because they don’t know what to look for. But more often, people miss them because they aren’t really looking. Decline happens gradually enough that family members fail to recognize the point where elderly care may be necessary. To help prevent this from happening, family members should be making a conscious effort to monitor their elderly loved ones and track changes in their functional abilities.
One strategy is to take stock of the things your loved one has difficulty with over the course of a typical week or month. You can do this mentally, or you might consider taking private notes. This will allow you to compare how your loved one is functioning now compared to the past. Gradual changes become much more stark if you can compare how well they’re doing now to six months or a year ago.
You may also wish to have conversations with family members. Sometimes, individual family members each notice different signs of decline, but nobody notices all of them. Conversations with your loved one will also give you a better sense of the areas where they feel they’re having the most trouble. These conversations can also give insight into signs of decline that occur in private.
Should you determine that your loved one is suffering from functional decline, you may wish to explore elderly care options. If you are considering in-home elderly care, we invite you to contact your local Visiting Angels. Th care coordinators at our local offices will be happy to provide guidance about coping with decline, speak with you about your care options, and schedule your loved one for a free, in-home elderly care assessment. How to Notice Signs of Functional Decline in Seniors
The Ventura County Area Agency on Aging (VCAAA) is extending a call to action to the community and local schools as we relaunch the Holiday Greetings Campaign, which aims to reach older adults and people with disabilities who are living in Ventura County. The VCAAA is seeking greeting cards that are handmade or premade with a short holiday greeting written inside. Cards will be distributed as part of the VCAAA’s meal service and care management programs. The first phase of the campaign will focus on Thanksgiving, while phase two will focus on the winter holiday season.
Thirty percent of Ventura County’s older adults are living alone, and the isolation, loneliness, and depression many of them are experiencing worsened during the COVID-19 crisis. With the holiday season quickly approaching, the VCAAA recognizes that this is the most critical time to extend not only our services to these populations, but also our care and support.
The VCAAA has received more than 15,000 letters and cards from the community since the Letters of Support and Holiday Greetings campaigns were initially launched in 2020. Those interested in participating should send completed greeting cards to the VCAAA through December 17th. Greeting cards may be mailed to, or dropped off at, 646 County Square Drive, Suite 100, Ventura, Ca. 93003. Please notate VCAAA Holiday Greetings Campaign on the envelope. All cards will be reviewed and then delivered to older adults and people with disabilities throughout Ventura County.
The VCAAA continues to encourage family members and neighbors to safely connect with loved ones who may benefit from similar holiday greetings, and from support with grocery shopping or other errands. It is extremely important to keep open lines of communication to help minimize the isolation so many Ventura County residents are experiencing.
Community members interested in participating in this program may e-mail [email protected] for more information, or call (805) 477-7306.
The Ventura County Area Agency on Aging, an agency of the County of Ventura, is the principal agency in Ventura County charged with the responsibility to promote the development and implementation of a comprehensive coordinated system of care that enables older individuals, caregivers, and individuals with disabilities to live in a community-based setting and to advocate for the needs of those 60 years of age and older in the county, providing leadership and promoting citizen involvement in the planning process as well as in the delivery of services.
∙ SPAN Thrift Store is now open to the public and looking for donations of adult clothing, household items and tools if you’ve got items you no longer use.
SPAN Thrift Store regularly provides $10 spays and neuters for low income households with cats and dogs. Two upcoming clinics are: Tuesday, November 23rd at the Albert H. Soliz Library – El Rio, 2820 Jourdan St., Oxnard, 93036, and a second one on Tuesday, December 7th at Shiells Park, in the parking lot, located at 649 C St., Fillmore, 93015. Please call to schedule an appointment (805) 584-3823.
∙ Of all the cute things dogs do, cocking their head to one side while they look at you may be the most endearing. Yet surprisingly little research has looked into why they do it. Now, a new study of “gifted” canines—those capable of quickly memorizing multiple toy names—shows they often tilt their heads before correctly retrieving a specific toy. That suggests the behavior might be a sign of concentration and recall in our canine pals, the team suggests.
The researchers stumbled upon their find by chance while conducting a study of “gifted word learner” dogs. Most dogs can’t memorize the names of even two toys, but these talented pups, all border collies, could recall and retrieve at least 10 toys they had been taught the names of. One overachiever named Whisky correctly retrieved 54 out of 59 toys he had learned to identify.
Over the course of several months, the researchers tested the dogs’ abilities to learn and recall labels for toys, comparing their skills with those of 33 “typical” dogs. Owners placed toys in another room and asked for them by name. Only the seven gifted dogs were able to rapidly learn and remember names. But these dogs shared something else in common: the head tilt.
The pattern was too consistent to be pure coincidence, says Andrea Sommese, an animal behavior researcher at Eötvös Loránd University who led the study. “So, we decided to dig into it.”
A quick internet search turned up plenty of speculative results positing that dogs tilt their heads to hear better, to listen for specific words or tones, or to see past their snouts. Sommese found one poster hypothesizing that shelter dogs do it more often because they know on some level that humans find it irresistible.
The scientific literature was much more sparse. A search for previous studies on head tilting yielded surprisingly few results. There were some veterinary papers about the practice as a symptom of certain health problems, Sommese says, but nothing about the quizzical behavior familiar to dog owners. That led researchers back to their own data to look for clues.
The scientists found that when asked to retrieve a toy gifted dogs cocked their heads 43% of them time over dozens of trials, compared with just 2% of the time in typical dogs, they report this week in Animal Cognition. (Although gifted dogs tilted their heads much more often, they were just as likely to retrieve the correct toy regardless of whether they made the motion.) The animals even had a favored side, just like humans favor their left or right hand. This was consistent over months of recordings, regardless of where the owner was standing in relation to the dog. “If a dog was a left tilter, it would stay a left tilter,” Sommese says.
All of the border collies in the study were familiar with the words being spoken, he notes, but only the gifted dogs who had correctly attached a meaning to each word consistently exhibited the tilting behavior. That means head tilting isn’t just a sign of familiarity with particular sounds, Sommese argues. If it were, all 40 dogs would be equally likely to do it. The team thinks it could be linked to mental processing—a sign of high attentiveness or concentration in the gifted dogs. The dogs might be cross-referencing the command with their visual memories of the toys, for instance.
Monique Udell, a human-animal interaction researcher at Oregon State University, Corvallis, has never seen head tilting featured in a study like this before. She cautions that these observations are preliminary, but says she thinks they could provide an exciting new direction for research on canine cognition. “The next step is asking more questions to get at what the head tilt really means,” Udell says. “Can we use head tilting to predict word-learning aptitude, or attention, or memory?”
Sommese hopes to follow up on this study by figuring out what sorts of sounds might be similarly meaningful to the nongifted dogs, to elicit the same behavior. Until then, dog owners will have to be content knowing that when a pooch tilts its head, it’s probably just trying its best to understand what you’re doing.
∙Through grocery store tabloids and TV commercials inundating us with new fad diets it seems that we, as humans, are constantly focusing on our weight. But what about when it comes to where our feline friends fall on the scales?
Dr. Ashley Navarrette, a clinical assistant professor at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, offers insight on how to manage your cat’s weight.
“When evaluating body condition on a cat, veterinarians look and feel to determine the fat coverage on a patient and assign them a number on a scale –generally 1-9 –,” Navarrette said. “An ideal body condition ranges from a BCS 4-6 with a score of 5 being ideal. We start to get concerned when cats are a BCS 7 and above, which is where we start to label a patient as overweight and progressing toward obese (8 and 9).”
“Thankfully, most people can weigh their cats at home using the trick of weighing themselves first, weighing themselves and the cat, and then doing some simple math,” she said. “I recommend owners routinely check their cat’s weight at least once a month to catch any upward or downward trends early.”
Because patients typically only see their veterinarian one to two times a year, Navarrette says “it is heavily (no pun intended) the responsibility of the owner to keep their pet at an appropriate weight.”
Some owners may believe that a couple of extra pounds isn’t a big deal; however, Navarrette warns that that “fat and happy” does not exist. “While your pet may seem content being overweight, their body systems are being affect by the excess fat tissue and even so much as a pound overweight can make a big difference to a cat,” she said. “Cats that are overweight and obese tend to be less social and less active. We also tend to see decreased grooming because they simply cannot reach due to their size.”
In some cases, your veterinarian may also suggest transitioning your cat to an over-the-counter or a prescription weight-loss diet; these foods are traditionally higher in protein and fiber than other cat foods.
However, transitioning from one food to another can be a more difficult task than it sounds.
“Cats like what they like and hate what they hate” Navarrette said. “Often cats become accustomed to a particular diet, and you may have to trial various diets before your cat accepts one.”
Finally, when managing your cat’s weight, integrating exercise into their everyday life through indoor cat trees, interactive toys or cat perches can stimulate their metabolism.
“As with any weight loss journey, whether that be feline or other pets, this is a marathon and not a sprint. Weight loss will take time; patience and consistency are key to this process,” Navarrette said. “Check-ups may need to be as frequent as every six to eight weeks to monitor progress and make necessary modifications.”
Over the past several months, the Women’s Auxiliary of the Church of Scientology of Ventura have been busy cutting fabric, sewing seams and gluing decorations to make 170 holiday stockings that are given to families whose babies are born in the month of December at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital.
In 2015, the tradition nearly came to its demise. Hearing the possibility that the tradition would end, Jan King of the Women’s Auxiliary decided to keep the tradition alive. She immediately went into action and organized volunteers to make the stockings.
And seeing the need, each year, beginning in early July, Ms. King organizes her group of volunteer that come together to hand craft stockings for the project. “I didn’t want the hospital to lose something that is so positive,” said Ms. King. “It is such a great tradition and is something that needs to go on.”
The volunteers normally make and deliver 150 stockings to Cottage Hospital. But this year, 20 additional stockings were made for the Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU). NICU provides around-the-clock care to sick or premature babies.
The Women’s Auxiliary of the Church of Scientology of Ventura has been volunteering and working with community leaders and organizations for over 20 years.
“A community that pulls together can make a better society for all.” L. Ron Hubbard – Humanitarian, Philosopher and Founder of the Church of Scientology.
Protect yourself from fraud and financial abuse! Be vigilant, be observant. Physical or financial abuse will continue so long as no one knows about it. Listed below are our Top 10 Safety Tips to always keep in mind.
Brenner Moon, Private First Class, second platoon recent graduate Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri Army Base always keeps up with the Ventura news by reading the Ventura Breeze that mom Heidi sends him.
Mom said “So proud of my son who recently graduated from Fort Leonard Wood army base in Missouri! The soldiers are very limited on materials that they can receive or being able to make any phone calls. I sent him The Breeze and he said he enjoyed it very much every time a new issue would come in.”
“He loved all the back home articles and details about the going on in Ventura.”
He will continue to be deployed for sometime but guaranteed I will continue to send him the Breeze to enjoy while he’s away from us.”
