Hearing loss is very common in older adults. It can be especially hard for them to hear when more than one person is talking or there is a lot of background noise. Here are some tips you can use when talking with someone who has a hearing problem:

• In a group, include people with hearing loss in the conversation.
• Find a quiet place to talk to help reduce background noise, especially in restaurants and at social gatherings.
• Stand in good lighting and use facial expressions or gestures to give clues.
• Face the person and speak clearly.
• Speak a little more loudly than normal, but don’t shout.
• Speak at a reasonable speed.
• Do not hide your mouth, eat, or chew gum while speaking.
• Repeat yourself if necessary, using different words.
• Try to make sure only one person talks at a time.
• Be patient. Stay positive and relaxed.
• Ask how you can help

Stephanie Caldwell, Chamber President & CEO is holding one end the ribbon while it was being cut by Monica Schrader, Ventura County Regional Director and Rhonda Spiegel CEO for the California Central Chapter at the Alzheimer’s Association opening of their new offices located at 2580 E. Main St. The cutting took place on Nov.16. There was a toast to celebrate the new office, refreshments, and giveaways.

If you’re in the process of starting your own business but are worried about not having enough space, knowing that you can get in touch with a company that offers versatile shipping container modifications services may allow you to realize that it might not be as difficult as you initially thought to find more storage space for your business.

I’m sure they will make good use of their new offices and they will be well maintained by someone similar to RGS (for more info).

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:

Social Services/Bereavement Groups

Ojai: Caregiver Support Group Monday, December 4th and 18th from 10:00 am – 11:30 am at Continuous Care Center, Fireside Room, 1306 Maricopa Hwy, Ojai (behind Ojai Valley Community Hospital). Find encouragement and hope during your time as a caregiver. Share, listen and explore thoughts and feelings about the struggles, losses and successes of caring for your loved one. For more information call (805) 633-9056.

Ojai: Adult Bereavement Support Group Tuesdays, December 12th and 26th (2nd & 4th Tuesdays) 10:30 am-noon at Help of Ojai, West Campus 370 Baldwin Rd., Ojai. 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].

Oxnard: Adult Bereavement Support Group on Mondays, December 4, 11, 18 and Tuesday, December 26 from 3:00-4:30 pm at First Presbyterian Church, 850 Ivywood Dr., Oxnard. 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]. If you have any schedule questions, please check the website calendar (http://lmvna.org/calendar/index.html) or call us.

Ventura: Adult Bereavement Support Group Wednesdays, December 6, 13, 20, and 27 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, December 14th 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.

Diabetes Classes

Ventura: Tuesday, December 5th from 1-2:30pm at Livingston Memorial Visiting Nurse Association, 1996 Eastman Ave, Suite 109. These meetings are held on the 1st Tuesday of each month. General information is provided about Type 2 Diabetes including prediabetes, with emphasis on meal planning, medication, exercise, blood sugar monitoring, and new developments in diabetes.

Joint Replacement Classes

Ventura: Thursday, December 7th 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.

Ventura: Monday, December 11th for both English and Spanish speaking. English 4:00-5:00 pm and Spanish 5:30-6:30 pm 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.

Retired Army Capt. Donald Wright, a resident of Cypress Place Senior Living in Ventura, celebrated his 104th birthday on Veterans Day, November 11th, 2017. A celebration in his honor, as well as honoring all the Veteran residents at Cypress Place, included food and entertainment, and a drum solo by Cpt. Wright, which delighted the large gathering of his family and friends, and fellow residents and neighbors at the senior community.

by Carol Chybowski
American Legacy Solutions

We have all been bombarded lately with TV ads and mailed circulars the last month or so touting various plans and companies to choose from during the Annual Open Enrollment Period for Medicare. Just what is Open Enrollment and who should utilize it?

The Annual Open Enrollment Period for Medicare is designed to allow people to change their part D Prescription Drug Plan if needed. This is the only time of the year people are allowed to change (barring a special circumstance) prescription plans. Those with Medigap / Medicare Supplements and stand-alone Prescription Drug Plans are affected, as are those who have Part C plans that include prescription drug coverage.

There are many reasons to take this opportunity to review your current coverage. One is that the plans themselves change from year to year. Premiums go up, deductibles get higher, and prescription medications are added or subtracted from formularies from year to year. What has been a good plan for you this year may not be a good plan next year.

Another reason to review your plan is that your own needs have changed. Have you stopped taking an expensive medication? If you chose a plan based on coverage of that medication you are no longer taking, you may be paying too much for coverage you no longer need.

How can you find out which plans are available in your area? The annual Medicare & You book includes a list of plans for our area. HICAP can also provide you with a list, and give more detailed instructions on how to choose a plan. But those lists can be confusing, particularly when you try to compare costs of individual medications across plans. Prices can vary greatly depending on the dosage and whether the medication is tablet, caplet or liquid-even if it’s the exact same medication in all three instances. Prices also vary by which pharmacy you are using and what type of contract they have with the manufacturers.

The same reasoning holds true for Part C plans that include drug coverage as well. Those plans can and do change their formularies from year to year. Because your medical coverage is tied in with your prescription coverage, it might not be as simple to change as a stand-alone plan. It is not necessarily a good thing to switch provider networks because of prescription coverage. But there are still options available to you if you need help with getting a medication covered or affording the cost of a high priced medicine. If this is a concern, make sure you compare all options equally and talk with a trained and licensed individual to help with these decisions.

by Katie Dawes

80-year-old James Rochow was a well-known resident in his assisted living community. Preferring to go by Jimmy, he was friendly with the staff, social with other residents and stole the hearts of many volunteers. Despite his approachable nature, he was not always so willing to engage. James had Parkinson’s disease, a disorder of the central nervous system that affected his bodily movement resulting in severe tremors. Parkinson’s disease is incurable and it is estimated that seven to ten million people are living with Parkinson’s disease.

Before being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, James lived in Brooklyn. He eventually joined the U.S. Air Force and served as a pilot in the Korean War. Post-war, James moved to California where he met his wife and had a daughter. After 30 years and his diagnosis, James and his wife were unable to care for themselves. They both decided to move into an assisted living community where they spent most of their time together. Two years after they moved in, James’ wife passed away, leaving him alone with an incurable disease.

James became depressed and isolated himself from both his community and extended family. He was placed in a wheelchair indefinitely and had constant joint pain. His disease brought upon severe tremors and uncontrollable shaking. The loneliness and solitude became increasingly more apparent to staff. Pacifica Senior Living Executive Director Stacie Dawes recognized James’ loneliness and wanted to come up with a way to engage him on a more personal level. Stacie decided to pair James up with volunteers in an effort to increase his level of communication and personable interaction.

“The importance of volunteers in senior lives is incredibly necessary,” said Pacifica Senior Living Executive Director Stacie Dawes. “I always believe volunteers breathe life into the souls of seniors because it allows them to tap into the youth of their lives. The smile it brings to their faces makes our volunteer program a vital staple to our daily activities.”

James and several volunteers immediately established a strong connection, one that was visible to the entire community. James went from being isolated and introverted to having daily visits with the volunteers in communal spaces. His face would light up as he told them about his days in the Korean War. He shared the significance of his Air Force baseball cap that never left his wheelchair and always encouraged the volunteers to join him for after lunch ice cream. He taught the volunteers how to play poker and checkers, which eventually inspired James to set up a poker club within the assisted living community.

“I remember the first time James taught me to play poker. He was so excited.” said Pacifica Senior Living volunteer Katie. “He won, but offered to buy me ice cream as a consolation prize. We would meet every Thursday to play and James would always have a huge smile on his face when he saw me walk in.”

After interacting with the volunteers, James went from being in a depressive and isolated state to a youthful and engaged community member. He did not let his Parkinson’s disease consume his life and allowed the volunteer program to enhance his assisted living experience. James became a teacher, listener and a friend to the volunteers, impacting not only his life but their lives as well.

The volunteer program has made a significant impression on James’ life and on the lives of so many other assisted living community residents. Pacifica Senior Living has continuous  volunteering opportunities for anyone looking to make a difference in a seniors life. For more information on becoming a volunteer please visit our website, https://www.pacificaseniorliving.com/.

The Ventura Townehouse has been home to many Veterans and spouses over the years. They have enjoyed the company of Veterans from every branch of the armed services, including Veterans of WWII, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Regardless of service type, rank, or role, they sincerely appreciate the service of all Veterans. On November 11^th they celebrated Veterans Day in a big way.

The annual Veterans Day ceremony began with color guards, 30 minutes of patriotic music by the Ventura British Brass of 27 pieces, and a program at the front garden by the flag pole.

A bagpipe procession, to a wreath-laying at the flagpole concluded the commemoration, followed by the viewing of Veterans posters made by their Intergenerational Group; Pacifica High School Staff & Students.

Personal recognition was given to the Veterans of Ventura Townehouse who spoke about their call to duty. The Townehouse thanked all Veteran’s and all Veteran’s families for their sacrifice and dedication to the United States and its citizen’s by giving us the right and privilege to freedom in our homeland.

The Townhouse thanked all participants in their Veterans Day Celebration. They are Ventura British Brass, Port Hueneme Color Guards CSSN Cruz, AC3 Shaw, CS2 Vaughan, and CS2 Henson, National Champion Bagpiper Steve Bausch, Ventura Townehouse Veteran Speakers Beatrice Haitz, Joseph LaRocca, John Wright, Art Karma, Chris Christman, and Lois Argend.

Family Caregiver Resource Center
Catholic Charities/OASIS
by Connie De La Rosa

There are many ways of “Giving back” that makes a difference especially for those who are lonely during the fast approaching holiday season and daily basis with very little to no communication with family or friends. Family caregivers who do not live close by may feel some concern for their aging loved ones who live alone and who may have some limits on their mobility.

Programs for the elderly offer a variety of services at no cost but it is not possible without volunteers like Bruce Archer who is a retired Chef from the Santa Paula Senior Center and volunteers wherever help is needed. The “Friendly Visitor” program is one of many services offered in Ventura County for those elders who are lonely and just need someone to stop by and say hello, read the paper if they are having difficulty reading or just sit and play one of their favorite games.

Socialization is part of living a longer and happier life so if you know someone who can benefit from this program or would like to volunteer, please call the Family Caregiver Resource Center at 420-9608.

Learn how hospice and palliative care support a person and their loved ones. Understand what transitions, challenges, and choices there are at the end of life. Identify when a person might be ready for palliative or hospice care.

Thursday, November 9, 6:00 – 8:00 pm at Fremont Junior High School Cafeteria, 1130 N. “M” St., Oxnard. Presented by Teri Helton, RN, MSN, FCN, and Program Manager for Livingston Memorial Visiting Nurse Association. Ms. Helton is a hospice nurse faith community nurse, and educator.

For more information, please contact: Tri-County GLAD

644-6322 or [email protected]

256-1053 (VP) www.tcglad.org

644-6323 (TTY)