Ventura County Library READ Adult Literacy Program is now recruiting adult volunteer tutors who would like to help other adults improve their reading and writing skills. No teaching experience is required and the training is free. The next five-week tutor training series in Ventura will be starting in September.

The READ program trains adult volunteers to provide free one-to-one reading instruction for adults in need of basic literacy skills. Instruction in basic literacy includes the development of phonetic reading skills combined with communication skills. Ventura County Library is encouraging residents to take this opportunity to volunteer as a tutor or encourage someone you know to take advantage of the free program.

After completion of the five-week training, tutors will meet with their adult learners at one of the assigned tutoring sites. Tutoring is scheduled by the availability of the tutors and the learners.

Illiteracy is an issue that can be debilitating in so many ways for adults who never received the proper instruction. Adults who are unable to read have a much more difficult time with many daily activities that others may take for granted, along with a clear disadvantage in today’s competitive job market.

For more information about how you can support literacy and make a difference in someone’s life, call (805) 677-7160.

In the late stage of Alzheimer’s disease, caregiving typically involves new ways of connecting and interacting with the person with the disease. Join us for this 2-part series and hear from caregivers and professionals about resources, monitoring care and providing meaningful connection for the person with late-stage Alzheimer’s and their families.

Caregiving responsibilities often persist for many years – even decades. Caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s or other dementias provide care for a longer time, on average, than caregivers of older adults with other conditions. Consequently, more than six in 10 (63 percent) of Alzheimer’s caregivers expect to continue in their care responsibilities for the next five years compared with less than half of caregivers of people without dementia (49 percent).

To address these issues, the Alzheimer’s Association will provide free 2-part educational workshop. Topics to be discussed include during the workshop are:

September 19: Approaches to the disease, Cognitive changes, activities, eating and physical changes.

October 17: Resources for care, monitoring care, legal plans, hospice and Palliative Care

The Alzheimer’s Association will be providing Living with Alzheimer’s – Parts 1 & 2 on Thursdays from 10am to 12pm. The course will be held at South Oxnard Senior Center on September 19th, and at the Palms at Bonaventura on October 17th. Call (800) 272-3900 to register in advance. Seating is limited.

The Alzheimer’s Association is the premier source of information and support for the five million Americans with Alzheimer’s disease. Through its national network of chapters, it offers a broad range of programs and services for people with the disease, their families and caregivers and represents their interests on Alzheimer’s-related issues before federal, state and local government and with health and long-term care providers.

As the disease progresses, new caregiving skills may be necessary. The Alzheimer’s Association offers programs to help caregivers better understand and cope with the behaviors and personality changes that often accompany Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. Take this opportunity to become an educated caregiver.

To find out about other dates and locations for classes in your area, call the Alzheimer’s Association at (805) 494-5200.

There is no doubt that Community Memorial Hospital’s (CMH) Centers for Family Health have made healthcare more accessible to residents throughout Ventura County. The Santa Rosa Health Center is no exception and has taken that accessibility to a new level with a pilot program that offers individuals living with dementia services that extend well beyond medical needs. Patients are now able to access a community-based dementia specialist during their visit to the Santa Rosa Center, all to help ease the stress and anxiety associated with a Dementia diagnosis.

Stemming from a grant to the Ventura County Area Agency on Aging (VCAAA) from the Administration for Community Living (ACL), the 3-month pilot program began in June 2019 with one primary goal: to test the value of embedding community-based dementia specialists in a medical setting, to meet with patients and families and assist with any unmet needs related to their diagnosis. providing an integrated whole person approach for patients and family members who are trying to navigate the road from diagnosis to available treatments and programs.

CMH noted that their work with the Dementia Friendly Ventura County collaborative, which is led by theVCAAA, included feedback from the community that healthcare providers don’t always prepare families for the progression of Dementia, according to Bonnie Subira, CMH’s Manager for High Risk Case Management. “Giving access to community-based dementia specialists helps patients and family members begin processing what they’re dealing with and what nonclinical resources might be available.”

Joining CMH in their efforts is the Camarillo Health Care District (CHCD), which provides a Dementia specialist in the clinic setting that help address the larger Dementia needs.

The pilot program is the first of its kind, according to Subira. “It’s a groundbreaking concept,” she said. “This program creates the potential for a community partner to be part of the healthcare team. That has never been done on this level.”

She continued, “It’s a lot to wrap your mind around, the idea of a diagnosis of Dementia. This program provides an added level of comfort for the patients and their family.”

The Santa Rosa Health Center’s pilot program is just the start to a multi-agency collaborative effort to provide one-stop Dementia resource centers in cities throughout Ventura County.

For more information on the Santa Rosa Health Center, visit https://cfh.cmhshealth.org/locations/santarosa-health-center/. For more information on the Dementia Friendly Ventura County movement, visit

http://www.vcaaa.org/dfvc.