Using these services will keep us happy.

The Ventura Area Agency on Aging (VCAAA) has a wealth of information available from tips for Family Caregivers, Senior Nutrition, guides to good health, and much, much more. Some resources are available online at “Pamphlets & Brochures” such as the agency’s brochure with programs and information, city contacts, and Fall Prevention. Many pamphlets and guides they are unable to provide online because of copyright laws, but they do have them available for pickup or by mail. For more information call Information & Assistance Specialist 477-7300 or 1-(800) 510-2020.

Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP)

The purpose of the Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP) is to provide free counseling and community education on Medicare, Medicare Part D, managed care, and other health insurance issues. If you wish to access this service, you may contact your local senior center to make an appointment or contact the local office at  477-7310. For additional HICAP resources or information, please call HICAP 477-7310 or 1-800-434-0222.

Health Insurance Information and Assistance

Agencies offer assistance with filling out forms, submitting bills, and completing other paperwork necessary for reimbursement

Case Management programs arrange for, and monitor the use of, community services to help the frail elderly, and/or disabled to avoid or delay institutional placement while fostering independent living. These services are offered by public, nonprofit, and for-profit agencies.

Case Management is the next step after contacting Information & Assistance.  Case Management may be needed when a person is released from the hospital after an illness or accident or a family caregiver is feeling overwhelmed or because a person would like to plan for future long term care needs.  A social worker and/or a nurse known as a “Case Manager” will meet with the client in their home for an assessment of their needs and available resources.

1. After this meeting, a plan for service known as a “care plan” is created with the client’s input to address concerns, outline interventions, and specify who is responsible for each intervention.

2. Then the Case Manager refers the client to community-based services, monitor those services, and provide monthly contacts & periodic home visits.

3. The Case Manager also helps to solve problems that come up as the care plan is implemented.

Most Care Plan items are provided by family members, outside agencies, and as funding permits, purchased with funds provided by the State of California.

The Information and Assistance Program is provided under the guidelines of Title III B of the Older American’s Act and is designed to link persons aged 60 and above (and their families and caregivers), who are in need of assistance to the appropriate programs and services in their communities that can help solve the problems faced by older adults. This is considered the entry point/introduction to the services system network.

I & A Specialists assess the needs of the individual calling for services, link the caller to specific services, provide advocacy, and follow-up to see that the services were received. They can provide accurate, up-to-date program information and availability, eligibility criteria, and time to obtain services, both public and private. A specialist can provide guidance in coordinating existing resources to promote independence and quality of life.

Whether you are looking for a specific organization to address a concern, need a phone number of a particular program, require assistance in helping to identify problems, or require an advocate to ensure you or a loved one receives the services they need, the I & A staff can help you get answers. For more information call Information & Assistance Specialist 477-7300 or 1-(800) 510-2020 or submit a request for information below.

Is it time for you to have “the talk”? No, not the one about the birds and the bees. Long after asking the question, “Mommy, where do babies come from?” there will come a time to ask, “Mom, how can we best care for you?” Consider the Conversation helps us know how to ask the question and have it answered without the anticipated awkwardness associated.

The following are quotes from reviews on Amazon:

“Be prepared to be terrified, illuminated, profoundly moved, confronted and warmly hugged all within an hour. Just knocked me off my feet!”

“It made me consider a topic I have been avoiding. We all owe it to our parents, and to our children, to have these important conversations.”

“I genuinely believe that every person over the age of 40 years old in America needs to see this piece.”

The Ventura Council for Seniors will present the film and follow-up discussion on November 4th at the Ventura Adult and Continuing Education (VACE) Center, 5200 Valentine Rd. The presentation will be from 10 am to noon. A light lunch will be served from noon to 1 pm, compliments of VACE, for those who RSVP by Monday, November 2. Please call 648-3035 to make reservations.

Mission Home Health, a San Diego-based Medicare provider is expanding its footprint in Southern California and is now accepting patients in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties. In mid-October, they acquired the Medicare certified division of Help Unlimited, a Ventura-based company that has served patients across Ventura and Santa Barbara counties for the past 40 years.

Founded in 2009, Mission Healthcare initially provided physician ordered home health, but quickly expanded to include other home based services including hospice and private duty homecare. Clinically owned and operated, Mission Home Health offers reliable, thoughtful professional care with locations in San Diego, Temecula, Riverside, San Bernardino, Palm Springs and Orange County.

Mission Home Health services adults and seniors who are recovering after a hospital or facility stay, or need additional support to remain safely at home to avoid unnecessary hospitalization.  These Medicare-certified services may include short-term nursing, rehabilitative, therapeutic, and assistive home health care.  Mission Home Health is a Medicare-certified agency where Medicare, Medi-Cal and most private insurances are accepted.

Mission Home Health’s goal is to have a positive impact on the lives of its patients, their families and their healthcare partners.  Mission Home Health believes there’s no place like home when it comes to providing its patients with the utmost care and comfort while offering a variety of in-home treatment options to meet every need.

For more information about Mission Home Health, visit www.homewithmission.com online or call (888) 871-0766 or on Facebook at facebook.com/HomeWithMission and Twitter @HomeWithMission.

Ventura’s Adult/Senior Services provides thousands of adults, 18 years and up, with recreational, specialty, social and health and fitness programs at the Ventura Avenue Adult Center (VAAC), 550 N. Ventura Avenue, 648-3035, open M-F 9am- 3pm. Many classes are open to adults 18 years and up and some are open to adults 50 years and up.

The public is invited to “Consider the Conversation: A Documentary on a Taboo Subject” on Wednesday, November 4, 10 am to 12 pm, at Ventura Adult Continuing Education, 5200 Valentine Rd. This powerful film that examines how Americans live at the end of their lives and how to prepare for this final chapter of life. Free but RSVP (lunch provided) at 648-3035. Presented by VCS, Livingston Memorial Visiting Nurse Association & Hospice and Ventura Adult Continuing Education.

You are invited to participate in the Ventura Council for Seniors board meetings held on the 3rd Wednesday of each month from 9:30a-11:00a at the Ventura Avenue Adult Center . The Ventura Council for Seniors (VCS), formerly the Ventura Council on Aging, formed in 1975, is designated by the Ventura City Council as the representative organization of all seniors (50 and over) in the City of Ventura.

Westside Café.  Join on Monday through Friday, 11:30am to 12:30pm, in the Ventura Avenue Adult Center’s Two Trees Banquet Room for the friendliest lunch hour in Ventura with a meal that includes a nutritious hot entrée, salad bar, and fresh fruit and vegetables. Check out the Adult pages of My Ventura each issue for Westside Café Days, seasonal celebrations that mark birthdays and feature special desserts and musical entertainment. **Suggested donation: $3 per meal for those 60 and over and $5 for those under 60. At Ventura Avenue Adult Center, 550 N Ventura Ave.

The Home Delivered Meals Program is designed for homebound individuals 60 years and up who live in Ventura. For more information call 648-3035.

By Matilda Charles

As it stands now, if Congress doesn’t act immediately, many of us will be faced with a big increase in our Medicare Part B cost in 2016. Even if Congress acts to stop the increase, consider this fair warning that it could happen in the future.

Here are some of the figures:

Most of us currently pay $104.90 for Medicare Part B, and it’s taken directly out of Social Security checks before we even see the money. The new costs for many of us are slated to jump up 52 percent, up to $159.30. The deductible is likely to jump from $147 to $223.

Seventy percent of us fall under the “hold harmless” rule, which means there will be no increase because there likely will be no Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) in 2016. Those people are covered. It’s the other 30 percent who will shoulder the increased costs of Medicare for everyone else. (It’s been calculated that if the costs were spread equally, everyone would pay $120.70 per month.)

Those who will pay extra:

* Anyone who signs up for Medicare for the first time in 2016,

* People who are direct billed for their premiums,

* Those enrolled in Medicare but not Social Security because they’re still working.

Bringing mobile senior services to the community
By Connie De La Rosa

Many seniors today have difficulty with mobilizing to services they may require due to limited mobility, not feeling well or minor confusion due to early stages of dementia.

Bringing “Mobile Senior Support Services” to the residents of Ventura is the effort of a few businesses who have come together as a “network” in order to provide a free presentation, demonstration or consultation in a service they may need. Businesses involved include estate planning attorney/information and education, marriage, family therapist education and information, exercise coach, hand/arm massage therapist, medi-care representative/education and information, dental hygienist education and information, Alzheimer’s/dementia education and information, County of Ventura veteran representative information and assistance, Skin Care along with many other businesses and new business.

If a senior chooses to use a particular service, businesses will give them a negotiated rate and maintain services in the comfort of their own community. The goal is to provide the information and services available to their communities making it more convenient and comfortable for our aging population. The Mobile Senior Support Service will provide services in a community about three months or longer, depending on the needed education/information and will be rotating to the different Senior communities in Ventura.

Currently, the Mobile Senior Support Services is located at the Lexington Independent and Assisted Living in Ventura. Lexington welcomes the public to attend any of the in-service presentations being offered from October through December 2015. 200-7756 for dates and times on any of the informational services you are seeking.

Photo by Michael Gordon
The in-house produced production of “Follies”, written, directed, produced, and choreographed by Marion Doane, a Cypress Place resident was recently presented at Cypress Place Senior Living .  Cast members included residents and staff members of Cypress Place. It was a standing room only crowd, and the performers brought down the house.

Q. What programs does the City provide for active adults and seniors

A. The City of Ventura’s Parks, Recreation and Community Partnerships department offers a variety of programs citywide. You can choose art, computer tutoring, cooking, dance, exercise, gardening, music, photography, swimming, and other classes. And new this fall we’ll have additional program space for adults to enjoy classes in partnership with the Housing Authority, located at the Buena Vida Apartments Community Room (9050 Telephone Road.)

We have so many wonderful classes and programs that we created a monthly newsletter called the “Silver Tsunami” to keep you up-to-date about our offerings.  One of our most popular new programs is a tutoring class for adults to learn basic computer functions. Whether you enjoy art and learning how to paint with acrylics or if you prefer gardening or cooking, we have a class for you.

We’re able to provide a wide selection of programs because we have various facilities throughout the city to accommodate these activities. On the east side, we have a state-of-the art aquatic facility at the beautiful Ventura Community Park (901 S. Kimball Road.)

Many of our classes are held at the Barranca Vista Center  (7050 E. Ralston Street).

If you’re looking for gardening opportunities, consider growing your own food at our Cornucopia Community Garden (Telephone Road between Johnson and Ramelli Avenue.)

On the Westside, we have the Ventura Avenue Adult Center (550 N. Ventura Avenue) and we recently restored the Bocce Courts and league at Harry A. Lyon Park (De Anza Drive at Cameron Street.)

For folks who like being near the water, we offer Standup Paddle Boarding, Fly Fishing, and guided walking tours of the Santa Clara River Estuary.

We make every effort to offer dynamic programs that will be enjoyed by active adults and seniors throughout our community. To keep informed about classes and upcoming events, please sign up for our monthly Silver Tsunami newsletter at www.cityofventura.net/enewsletters or pick up a copy at any of the locations I listed above.  Visit us online at www.cityofventura.net/adult or call the Parks, Recreation and Community Partnership Office, 658-4726.