All posts by admin

Senior troupe to put on show about avoiding senior scams

Troupe members of the “Stop Senior Scams (SM) Acting Program” ham it up to help others learn how to protect themselves. Courtesy photo

In collaboration with the Ventura County Adult Abuse Prevention Council (VCAAPC), please join Cypress Place Senior Living in Ventura for a fun, free and educational program on avoiding senior scams.

The Stop Senior Scams (SM) Acting Program uses theater to dramatize senior scams. Members of the troupe, ranging in age from 60 – 97 years-old, write and perform skits based on their own personal experiences. Many of the actors have been scammed, or nearly scammed, themselves. The presentation is a memorable way to equip those who are vulnerable with the knowledge they need to protect themselves.

​Using popular songs like the Rolling Stones “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”, “Getting to Know You “, from the Rogers and Hammerstein musical “The King and I”, and Abba’s “Money, Money, Money”, the troupe brings theatricality, laughter and excitement to a commonly frightening and frustrating topic.

The program was founded in 1997 by director Adrienne Omansky, who teaches commercial acting classes for older adults. Her students are trained in commercial and theatrical acting. Many now have agents, and have appeared in hundreds of commercials, movies, videos, television shows, and theatrical productions. 

The Stop Senior Scams (SM) Acting Program came out of Omansky’s classes and has been recognized by the U.S. Senate Committee on Aging and the California State Assembly, according to Nancy Cole, an eldercare manager and board member of VCAAPC. The program also provides a safe venue for seniors to share their own experiences with each other and with the acting troupe after the performance.

A representative from the Ventura County Adult Protective Services office will be on hand to provide information and answer questions. Also on hand during the event will be vendors who provide a variety of services to the senior population. Attendees will be able to ask questions and receive materials from these corporate sponsors.

This not-to-be-missed program takes place on February 20, 2020 from 1:30p.m. to 3:30p.m. at Cypress Place Senior Living in Ventura. Seating is limited so please call to reserve a seat. Cypress Place Senior Living is located at 1200 Cypress Point Lane in Ventura. For more information or to RSVP, please call 805-765-1066.

Cypress Place Senior Living is a premiere senior community in Ventura County. The beautiful senior living campus features an Active Senior Living community and adjacent Assisted Living and Alzheimer’s/Dementia Care community connected by a lushly landscaped courtyard.

To learn more about Cypress Place Senior Living of Ventura, visit their web site at www.cypressplaceseniorliving.com.

The Ventura County Adult Abuse Prevention Council is a not-for-profit service organization dedicated to the prevention of elder and dependent adult abuse. To learn more about VCAAPC please visit their web site at http://vcaapc.org/.

Ventura Film Society screenings

The Ventura Film Society has recently announced three screenings, new for 2020:

February 1, the VFS will screen On the Basis of Sex (2018) directed by Mimi Leder. The film focuses on the early years of the career of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and the numerous obstacles she would overcome in her fight for equal rights that eventually changed the way the courts view gender discrimination. The film will be shown at the Museum of Ventura County on Feb. 1, with generous support provided by the League of Women Voters. Doors open 6:30 with a no host bar and a performance by Vision 2020 Suffrage Passion Players before the 7:30 screening.

February 22, the VFS will be adding a third venue to our roster of screening partners with the presentation of Councilwoman (2019), directed by Margo Guernsey at Bell Arts Factory at 6pm. This recent award-winning documentary follows Carmen Castillo, a Dominican hotel housekeeper, as she campaigns and wins a seat on the city council of Providence, R.I. She has to manage her day job cleaning hotel rooms while advocating for low-income workers as a rookie politician. This free screening is sponsored by the Santa Barbara and Ventura Colleges of Law. Following the screening, the film’s subject, Councilwoman Carmen Castillo will participate in a panel discussion along with Oxnard Councilwoman Carmen Ramirez. Free babysitting and light refreshments are provided.

Tickets for Marianne and Leonard and On the Basis of Sex are available online through Eventbrite and through our website at venturafilmsociety.com. Prices are $12 for General Admission, $10 for seniors and $8 for students with valid ID.

The Ventura Film Society believes in the transformative power of film. We are a non-profit organization under the fiscal sponsorship of Bell Arts Factory. Join us as we build a film culture in Ventura County with a curated collection of local, independent and documentary films, presented through imaginative cinematic experiences.

Ventura Film Society www.venturafilmsociety.com

Glaucoma tests

“Is this an eye test or have we been invaded from outer space”

Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance) covers glaucoma tests once every 12 months.

You’re at high risk if one or more of these applies to you:
You have diabetes.
You have a family history of glaucoma.
You’re African American and age 50 or older.
You’re Hispanic and age 65 or older.

You pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount and the Part B deductible applies.

To find out how much your test, item, or service will cost, talk to your doctor or health care provider. The specific amount you’ll owe may depend on several things, like:

Other insurance you may have
How much your doctor charges
Whether your doctor accepts assignment
The type of facility
Where you get your test, item, or service

Ventura County Library received national grant from the American Library Association

Ventura County Library was named one of 59 libraries nationwide to receive a $2,000 Library Census Equity Fund grant from the American Library Association (ALA), which awarded the grants to bolster library services to hard-to-count communities and help achieve a complete count in the 2020 Census.

“We are thrilled to be selected to receive these ALA grant funds in support of the Census 2020 effort,” said Ventura County Library Director Nancy Schram. “Our county libraries will play a key role in the census, and this grant will help us reach more community members with the equipment and information they need to be better informed about Census 2020 and to complete the census survey. Librarians across the county have been working with the Ventura County Complete Count Committee and representatives from the U.S. Census Bureau to plan for Census 2020; and, this grant project will help us to leverage and build upon those partnerships to have even more impact.”

Ventura County Library is dedicating grant funds toward computer equipment for the Mobile Library to facilitate participation by people in underserved areas of Ventura County in special Census 2020 Mobile Library events.

“The efforts of Ventura County Library,” said ALA President Wanda Brown, “will shine a light on all the library workers across the country who are shouldering efforts to reach and inform their communities—especially vulnerable and hard-to-count populations—about the importance of a full and inclusive count.”

The results of the 2020 Census will affect communities across the country. More than $1.5 trillion in federal funds are allocated each year to state and local governments based on Census data. When residents are missed in the Census, their communities miss out on needed funding for services such as libraries, schools, healthcare, and transportation.

The U.S. Constitution requires a census of all residents every ten years. In the 2020 Census, residents will have the choice to respond online, by phone, or by mail. The U.S. Census Bureau will send mailings to households prior to Census Day, which is April 1, 2020.

For additional information on Ventura County Library and the 2020 Census, contact Nancy Schram, Ventura County Library Director at (805) 256-8535

To help achieve a complete count in the 2020 Census, America’s libraries are informing their communities and providing access to the online response option. To learn more, visit ala.org/census and follow the conversation on social media with #CountOnLibraries.

Marching for Unity

The organization was thrilled with the turnout and successful march. Photos by Richard Lieberman

by Amy Brown

In a sea of pink knit hats and creative signs with humorous and pointed political and social messaging, a crowd of approximately 1,500 attended a rally in Plaza Park in Ventura on January 18th and then marched through downtown for Justice For All Ventura County’s (JFAVC ) 4th annual event, held in conjunction with women’s marches nationwide. JFAVC is a non-profit focused on the environment, women’s issues, LGBTQ issues, health care, economic equity, immigration, education, and cultural equity.

According to Christine Burke, JFAVC’s President and the emcee of the rally, the organization was thrilled with the turnout and successful march. “We hope that people get out and get invigorated about working to make the world a better place. And for us, this is such an important year because the vote is coming up in November, and we’re going to be hosting, cohosting and partnering with other organizations throughout the year that are affiliated with topics being discussed on the stage,” said Burke.

Most of the attendees seemed united on the importance of exercising the right and power of voting, and passion for equality and environmental issues. “The most important things are rationality, sensibility, reason, and compromise. Absent of that, the most important thing is to get enough people mobilized to vote to make a difference. In this country, there are more people that are progressive or left leaning, but don’t seem to get up the nerve to vote,” said Jeff Kirby, who participated in the rally and also served as a volunteer marshal guiding marchers on the sidewalk.

There were hundreds of young women, in groups, and with their families at the diverse event. 14-year-old Amelia Beving and 13 -year -old Natalie Schermer held signs that read ‘Be the Change and Drive an EV’ and ‘I’m With Her…Mother Earth’ and they both expressed specific concerns about the environment and human rights. “I’m worried about the fact that we’re close to the point where we can’t turn it around. I’m excited to get to the age to get to vote—I know a lot of kids that are already politically in tune,” said Schermer. “I feel like now, with the internet and news moving at a fast pace, we are more aware of the problems we face and it kind of scares us, and we want to make a change.”

Speakers at the rally included congressional representatives from the House and the Senate and also from the State Assembly, as well as Ventura Mayor Matt Lavere, city council members, and local organizations including the Ventura County Community Foundation and Climate Strike 805—all urging unity and action for social justice.

One key topic shared was that 2020 is the 100 anniversary of the 19th amendment being passed in this country, which allowed women the right to vote. “It took 100 years of fighting for women in this country to get the right to vote,” said California Congresswoman Julia Brownley. “When women vote, we win!” Several speakers also celebrated Virginia becoming the 38th state to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), which reads, in part: ‘Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.’

Planned Parenthood had strong support at the event, with many men and women holding signs in support of the organization and women’s right to choose. Maple Umscheid, 14 and her 15 year old sister Jasmine attended with friend Taylor Gonzalez, age 17. They held Planned Parenthood signs and a sign that called for both reproductive rights and LBGTQ rights. Gonzalez shared that she grew up in a conservative household and felt that she had not previously had an outlet to express her views as a woman. “It’s really beautiful to see us all coming together here to fight for these important causes.”

Vol. 13, No. 9 – Jan 29 – Feb 11, 2020 – Movie Review

Movie Review by Cindy Summers
Bad Boys for Life

Breeze rating from 1 to 4 palm trees, 4 being best.

Bad Boys Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) are back out on the streets of Miami for one last time to settle issues from a past criminal mastermind. Released by Columbia Pictures, Directed Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, Written by Chris Bremner, Peter Craig and Joe Carnahan and Starring Will Smith as Mike Lowrey and Martin Lawrence as Marcus Burnett.

After spending 25 years on the force, Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) makes the decision to retire and spend more time with his family, having just had a new grandson born with his namesake. Having been partners for 20 years, Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) wants to continue working on the force but doesn’t want to work without his partner. Burnett stubbornly refuses until Lowrey is shot repeatedly in front of him, giving him no other option but to help Lowrey “just one more time” pursue the shooter after having regained his health.

Due to the fact that Lowery was the victim in the shooting, Captain Howard (Joe Pantoliano) forbids Lowery to work on the case, though Lowery is unstoppable so Captain Howard relents and allows Lowery to work the case as long as he follows Howard’s guidelines regarding working with the force to solve the case instead of on his own. Lowery learns that the killings are related to a drug cartel leader who had recently broke out of prison in Mexico City and with whom Lowery has a complicated past.

Complicated pasts seem to be Lowery’s M.O. as he is also forced to work with an internal agency named AMMO (Advanced Miami Metro Operations) that’s headed by his ex-girlfriend Rita (Paola Nunez). Throughout the movie Lowery tries to leave AMMO out of the loop, while Burnett secretly contacts them every time for backup and support.

Lowery eventually comes to the conclusion that Isabel Aretas (Kate del Castillo) is behind his attempted murder and a rash of killings involving local public officials after having broken out of a Mexican prison seeking personal revenge and to avenge the death of her ex-husband. Unfortunately, Captain Howard is targeted by the same man that shot Lowery and kills Howard at his daughters event in front of Lowery, spurring Lowery and Burnett to Mexico to find the killer.

Aretas actually sent her son Zway-Lo (Nicky Jam) to kill the group responsible for her incarceration and her husband’s death, requiring Lowery to be the last one killed and the only target left for Zway-Lo when Lowery and Burnett arrive in Mexico. A bloody battle ensues at an abandon palace, leaving Aretas dead and Zway-Lo alive but injured.

The buddy banter between Smith and Lawrence will have you laughing from beginning to end, while the action will have you on the edge of your seat, wincing at every painful experience of which there are many as unlike other big actions films, these heroes actually get shot and injured at lot as would be expected but mostly rejected by big film directors. The final scene also points to a plot line for the Fourth installment of the ‘Bad Boys’ film franchise.

R (for strong bloody violence, language throughout, sexual references and brief drug use)
123 minutes

Lower handgrip strength associated with cognitive impairment

A good handgrip can also help your golf game.

Older adults with a weaker handgrip were more likely to be cognitively impaired than those with a stronger grip, according to an NIA-funded study in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. The findings suggest that handgrip strength may be a potential low-cost, easy way to help detect cognitive impairment and, in combination with other measures, to identify people who may benefit from early interventions.

A team led by researchers from North Dakota State University looked at data over an eight-year period from almost 14,000 people, age 50 or older, in the NIA-supported Health and Retirement Study. A handheld instrument called a dynamometer was used to assess handgrip strength, and a modified screening tool from the Mini-Mental State Examination was used to measure cognitive function every two years. Of the 13,828 participants who were assessed, 1,309 had some degree of cognitive impairment.

Results showed that each 5-kilogram decrease in handgrip strength — roughly 11 pounds — was linked to 10% greater odds of having any cognitive impairment. For the 264 participants with severe cognitive impairment, the odds of a lower grip strength were 18% greater than for all other participants.

As people age, they lose muscle mass, resulting in a weaker grip. Grip strength also can weaken due to age-related changes in parts of the brain that coordinate movement. These same areas of the brain also correspond to cognition, the researchers note. The neural and motor functions needed for the grip strength test may become compromised when cognitive impairment starts, they explain.

Previous studies investigating the relationship between cognitive function and grip strength have shown mixed results, likely due to smaller numbers of participants and varied assessments across studies making it difficult to combine data. Future research is needed to further explore the connection between grip strength and cognition, for example, investigating any associations with structural changes in the brain.

If validated, grip strength could be an easy test used by doctors to help distinguish cognitive dysfunction from normal age-related decline, the researchers noted. It also may have the potential to be used during clinical trials to gauge the effectiveness of interventions meant to prevent or delay cognitive impairment.

This research was funded in part by NIA grant R01AG044424.

Maintaining a healthy weight is important for overall health and well-being

“This is my last ice cream bar before I start my diet.”

As you grow older, if you continue eating the same types and amounts of food but do not become more active, you will probably gain weight. That’s because your metabolism (how your body gets energy from food) can slow with age, and your body composition (amount of fat and muscle) may be different from when you were younger.

The energy your body gets from the nutrients in the food you eat is measured as calories. As a rule of thumb, the more calories you eat, the more active you have to be to maintain your weight. Likewise, the reverse is also true—the more active you are, the more calories you need. As you age, your body might need less food for energy, but it still needs the same amount of nutrients.

Many things can affect your weight, including genetics, age, gender, lifestyle, family habits and culture, sleep, and even where you live and work. Some of these factors can make it hard to lose weight or keep weight off.

But being active and choosing healthy foods has health benefits for everyone—no matter your age or weight. It’s important to choose nutrient-dense foods and be active at least 150 minutes per week.

Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week. You don’t have to do that all at once—break it up over the whole week, however you like. If you can’t do this much activity right away, try to be as physically active as you can. Doing something is better than doing nothing at all.

The benefits of exercise aren’t just about weight. Regular exercise can make it easier for you to do daily activities, participate in outings, drive, keep up with grandchildren, avoid falls, and stay independent.

You don’t have to spend a lot of money joining a gym or hiring a personal trainer. Think about the kinds of physical activities that you enjoy—for example, walking, running, bicycling, gardening, housecleaning, swimming, or dancing. Try to make time to do what you enjoy on most days of the week. And then increase how long you do it,or add another fun activity.

Learn more about exercise and physical activity from NIA’s Go4Life, which offers a variety of free, evidence-based resources for older adults in one convenient spot.

For More Information on Maintaining a Healthy Weight

President’s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition

1-240-276-9567

[email protected]

www.fitness.gov

U.S. Department of Agriculture

1-202-720-2791

www.usda.gov

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)

1-800-860-8747 (toll-free)

1-866-569-1162 (TTY/toll-free)

[email protected]

www.niddk.nih.gov

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

1-301-592-8573

[email protected]

www.nhlbi.nih.gov

The Lexington Assisted Living to hold Sweetheart Dance & Social on Valentine’s Day

Executive Director, Eric Terrill, and Director of Business Development, Ronald Agulto of The Lexington Assisted Living in Ventura are very pleased to invite the senior community to an afternoon of dancing and music, with the possibility of romance for those so inclined.

The Valentine’s Day Sweetheart Dance & Social will take place on Friday, February 14, 2020 from 2:00pm until 4:30pm. at The Lexington Assisted Living, located at 5440 Ralston St., Ventura.

Dancing, appetizers and specialty drinks are on tap at this afternoon event for those who attend. Live entertainment will be provided by professional singer/songwriter, recording artist and multi-instrumentalist Bob Bishop. Bishop will be performing a wide variety of R&B, Rock, Classic Rock and Blues.

R.S.V.P. before February 11, 2020 to [email protected].

For more information or driving directions please telephone The Lexington at (805) 644-6710.

www.LexingtonLiving.net.

Stephen “Steve” Cummings mural memorial

Edison has covered up one side of the Ventura mural memorial for Stephen “Steve” Cummings located at Loma Vista and Mills located on a utility box that now had a battery backup. Battery packs are needed for motorists’ safety when Edison shuts off power to avoid fires.

Cummings was a community activist and local preservationist who died unexpectedly in 2015. The College Area Community Council raised the funds for the 2016 memorial mural.

City officials have been listening to community concerns and the city and community council are now working together to find a solution.